Is the puzzling star Betelgeuse going to explode in our lifetime after all?

[Admin]

A new unpublished study is making waves on the internet, claiming that one of the brightest stars in the night sky might die in a spectacular explosion within our lifetime.

Is the puzzling star Betelgeuse going to explode in our lifetime after all? : Read more

 

[MarcusEE]

I always find the term 'in our lifetime' interesting. If Betelgeuse were to go supernova tomorrow, then it happened about 650 years. So, we may see it in our lifetime but it certainly didn't happen in our lifetime!

 

[netdragon]

All indications from the latest studies are that it "already" went supernova (depending on frame of reference) around 500+ yrs ago. The light just hasn't reached us yet.

 

[ChrisA]

I always find the term 'in our lifetime' interesting. If Betelgeuse were to go supernova tomorrow, then it happened about 650 years. So, we may see it in our lifetime but it certainly didn't happen in our lifetime!

We use the convention of always using Earth's reference for events. If we didn't and allowed any arbitrary reference we could rig them so that all events in history occurred at the same time. To avoid such absurdities we like to use the Earth's reference point. This also helps to keep cause and effect in place.

 

[Pogo]

As @ChrisA said, all events are noted for time we see it, not when it may have actually occurred, partially because of uncertainties of distances. Betelgeuse has an uncertainty of distance of about 140 LY, so, even when we see it actually happening, we will know when it actually occurred only within that range, and we can’t predict supernovae yet with any real certainty. So, events occur when we see them.
In this case, all we can say is that it may occur within the next 100 000 years.

 

[MarcusEE]

We use the convention of always using Earth's reference for events. If we didn't and allowed any arbitrary reference we could rig them so that all events in history occurred at the same time. To avoid such absurdities we like to use the Earth's reference point. This also helps to keep cause and effect in place.

Um... I wasn't referring to 'any arbitrary reference'. I was referring to the absolutes of speed of light and distance. I then referred to Earth's timeline, which we all understand. My contention that although we may observe in our lifetime but that it won't have happened in our lifetime remains correct. I don't believe I was dealing in absurdities.