We're Getting Another Sun!

[Sophus]

Link.

Earth could be getting a second sun, at least temporarily.

Dr. Brad Carter, Senior Lecturer of Physics at the University of Southern Queensland, outlined the scenario to news.com.au. Betelgeuse, one of the night sky's brightest stars, is losing mass, indicating it is collapsing. It could run out of fuel and go super-nova at any time.

When that happens, for at least a few weeks, we'd see a second sun, Carter says. There may also be no night during that timeframe.

[elliebean]

 Invest in solar?

[LegendarySandwich]

I hope it happens soon, 'cause it sounds awesome.

[terranus]

Sucks if you're nocturnal.

What's up with the starts lately? Seems like everythings gone haywire recently. Changing astrological signs, Betelgeuse blowin up, Solar flares, dead birds and the whole 12/12/2012 craziness...

[LegendarySandwich]

Sucks if you're nocturnal.

What's up with the starts lately? Seems like everythings gone haywire recently. Changing astrological signs, Betelgeuse blowin up, Solar flares, dead birds and the whole 12/12/2012 craziness...

You don't think...  :crazy:

[hismikeness]

Isn't there the slightest, slightest of chances that we could be gamma ray bursted? Isn't Betelguese's poles pointed in our general direction, which is why it appears so bright, because we are looking at it from above? I wonder what would happen to us if, say, Neptune was hit directly by a GRB? Or what if it came ripping through the solar system, but missed everything?

This stuff boggles my mind.

[terranus]

Ah...knew there had to be a rebuttal somewhere. Here ya go:

http://www.space.com/10662-betelgeuse-sun.html

[hismikeness]

Ah...knew there had to be a rebuttal somewhere. Here ya go:

http://www.space.com/10662-betelgeuse-sun.html

Interesting. So according to the original article, one of the things that might happen by 2012 is the formation of a black hole 1300 light years away, but the rebuttal article claims Betelgeuse is only 600 light years away. Wiki says 640... What gives, science?

[Whitney]

we should totally go out in the dessert and reenact the scene where Luke looses his family

[terranus]

Interesting. So according to the original article, one of the things that might happen by 2012 is the formation of a black hole 1300 light years away, but the rebuttal article claims Betelgeuse is only 600 light years away. Wiki says 640... What gives, science?

Guess it all depends at how you look through the telescope. Considering there are so many conflicting reports as to just how far away BG is from us, I imagine the scientists who are in charge of said measuring must be looking through the telescope like this:  , though I imagine that would hurt quite a bit.

[Sophus]

Ah...knew there had to be a rebuttal somewhere. Here ya go:

http://www.space.com/10662-betelgeuse-sun.html

I've tried to find rebuttals too. Why isn't scienceblogs talking about this? They have astronomers don't they?

[terranus]

Ah...knew there had to be a rebuttal somewhere. Here ya go:

http://www.space.com/10662-betelgeuse-sun.html

I've tried to find rebuttals too. Why isn't scienceblogs talking about this? They have astronomers don't they?

No they have blogs. Hence the name, scienceblogs. :hmm:

[Asmodean]

Behold the awesome power of the Creator, who in his holy wrath shalt rid the world of vampires with one giant supernova..!

Me, I'd like to be alive to see that there event.   With my luck though, a truck will run me over the day before it happens and I will be out of coma the day after it is over. OR it will just wait 50-60 years befor occuring.

[hismikeness]

Me, I'd like to be alive to see that there event.   With my luck though, a truck will run me over the day before it happens and I will be out of coma the day after it is over. OR it will just wait 50-60 years befor occuring.

Don't you mean a truck will run you over the day before it happened 600 or 640 or 1300 years ago and now the light is just getting here?

[Asmodean]

Don't you mean a truck will run you over the day before it happened 600 or 640 or 1300 years ago and now the light is just getting here?

No, I mean what I say. You, however, misunderstod my "It".

It here refers to the visible event on Earth, not the cosmic explosion.