So a super nova is going to explode in a few weeks ...

**fungusman** · 06-01-2010, 09:42 PM

Is Betelgeuse about to blow? | Bad Astronomy | Discover Magazine

**Dudebro** · 06-01-2010, 10:10 PM

Would it kill you to say something about the topic instead of just linking it?

I already read about this and it's interesting but there's no proof that it will happen anytime soon, just assumption. Of course if it did happen I'd be excited but I'm not gonna waste time thinking about it until it does.

**CatalystiCam** · 06-01-2010, 10:31 PM

At least I'll be at the lake where it's super easy to see the sky... Can maybe see 10 stars here and all of them there. Could be neat to see if it lasts a few days.

**Dudebro** · 06-01-2010, 10:59 PM

Nope sorry, I heard it's best seen in the southern hemisphere. You northerners will probably just barely see it.

**CatalystiCam** · 06-01-2010, 11:13 PM

Well, anyhow. Would be cool to see if I do. My only concern is that some Black holes don't stay still in the exact same spot. Some of them travel in a certain direction :-/

**Dudebro** · 06-01-2010, 11:16 PM

Yeah that may be true but the chances of it heading in our direction instead of the other vast expanses of space is a long shot to say the least. No point in worrying about it unless it's happening. If it did happen we wouldn't have to worry for long anyways.

**Kong** · 06-01-2010, 11:20 PM

Sounds like none of you read the article. There is no reason to think it will be in our lifetime.

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Conclusion:
So my personal opinion is that this is just another breathless rumor of astronomical doomsday that we get every couple of years. Even if any of the science of it is right, it doesn’t mean Betelgeuse is about to explode any day now. And since this is a rumor three times removed, I don’t put any stock in it. I’ll wait until I hear from named scientists with published or publishable data before I start to wonder if the star is about to blow.

**Slime Slayer** · 06-01-2010, 11:34 PM

Funny how every generation thinks they will be the last.

**Dudebro** · 06-01-2010, 11:52 PM

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Originally Posted by Kong

There is no reason to think it will be in our lifetime.

But it's possible, right? It seems like the thing about it not being round is based on some real data. The guy in this article seems to wanna dismiss it as incorrect but honestly he has no idea either. Both possibilities seem reasonable to me.

**jim5cents** · 06-04-2010, 03:17 PM

Consider that light is the fastest known moving object in the universe. If there was a star that went supernova and the explosion of said star would destroy the Earth, we would find out about it at the same exact moment that we first saw or heard the supernova. Give the size and mass of stars, as well as their distance from Earth, it is near improbable to predict the day, week, month, or year of a supernova. Consider if Alpha Centari, after the Sun, the next closest star from the Earth exploded, we wouldn't know about it for 4.37 years after the supernova. That is how long it would take the light from that explosion to reach Earth.

**Demon-Mask** · 06-04-2010, 05:19 PM

If it is to supernova in a few weeks, it would have had to supernova years ago, when we look into the sky, we are seeing the past.

**jim5cents** · 06-04-2010, 11:15 PM

So to speak, right now, we estimate the universe to be about 13 billion light years across, but that is because that is the visible light that we can see. Each day, more of the light from the farthest reaches of the universe reaches us, thus expanding its size. There is no telling how large the universe actually is.

**CatalystiCam** · 06-05-2010, 12:37 AM

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There is no telling how large the universe actually is.

Isn't it just endless. I've never looked into that fact. I'd either think it's endless or it repeats but my first theory would make more sense.

**Dudebro** · 06-05-2010, 02:26 AM

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Originally Posted by Cam3ron36

Isn't it just endless. I've never looked into that fact. I'd either think it's endless or it repeats but my first theory would make more sense.

I think infinite is a better word, endless implies there's a starting point right? It's hard to imagine space having no start or end but I guess it's possible.

**oasis** · 06-05-2010, 03:06 AM

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Originally Posted by Cam3ron36

Isn't it just endless. I've never looked into that fact. I'd either think it's endless or it repeats but my first theory would make more sense.

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Originally Posted by Albert Einstein

“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe.”

If it does explode we will probably get some real answers on how the universe works up close and personal. right now all we have is theorys and guesses about super novas thousands of light years away. one happening so close will allow us to observe it in near real time.

**jim5cents** · 06-05-2010, 10:09 AM

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Originally Posted by oasis

near real time

in cosmic real time. I suppose that is about a million years or so.

**Demon-Mask** · 06-05-2010, 08:54 PM

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Originally Posted by Cam3ron36

Isn't it just endless. I've never looked into that fact. I'd either think it's endless or it repeats but my first theory would make more sense.

It has and end, and a center point. The universe is constantly expanding, this is proven by the red-shift of light over time. The space between galaxies is expanding, thus meaning the "edge" of the universe is moving outward.

**CatalystiCam** · 06-05-2010, 10:03 PM

so this makes no sense on what "The end" of the universe would look or be like. I'm sure no one knows but it's hard to imagine if it does in fact have an end...

**Dudebro** · 06-05-2010, 10:14 PM

The point is no one knows for sure until we can see it or get to it, if it exists at all.

**Demon-Mask** · 06-05-2010, 10:43 PM

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Originally Posted by Cam3ron36

so this makes no sense on what "The end" of the universe would look or be like. I'm sure no one knows but it's hard to imagine if it does in fact have an end...

"The End" is theorized to be total nothingness. "The end" of the universe is often considered the end of the visible universe, about thirteen billion light years away. No one knows what cannot be seen, but I imagine it as some kind of wall, that is constantly moving outward.
All that I am certain of, is the fact that there is an end to the universe.

**oasis** · 06-05-2010, 10:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by demon

It has and end, and a center point. The universe is constantly expanding, this is proven by the red-shift of light over time. The space between galaxies is expanding, thus meaning the "edge" of the universe is moving outward.

the red shift is a theory and may not prove that at all but as of right now it is the accepted truth.

no one knows what the outside of the universe is doing. it could very well be a projection image on a screen for all we know.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jim

in cosmic real time. I suppose that is about a million years or so.

I said in near real time because the light from the star will get to us at far grater speeds than any other light.

instead of 2000 years to see a little change it would be dramatically grater.

we would be able to see and measure the expanse of the nova at far grater speeds and accuracy then ever before.