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General Weather/Earth Sciences Topics => Earth Sciences => Topic started by: SlowModem on January 21, 2011, 10:41:03 AM

Title: Two Suns Possible?
Post by: SlowModem on January 21, 2011, 10:41:03 AM
A star in Orion (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/20/two-suns-twin-stars_n_811864.html) may go supernova and provide extra light.
Title: Re: Two Suns Possible?
Post by: sam2004gp on January 21, 2011, 11:05:37 AM
I had heard of this as well.  But the story I heard was that it would be fatally dangerous to life on earth.  But then I can't remember where or on what type of media I had heard about it.  #-o
Title: Re: Two Suns Possible?
Post by: SlowModem on January 21, 2011, 11:09:06 AM
But then I can't remember where or on what type of media I had heard about it.  #-o

Maybe it's already happened?   :-k
Title: Re: Two Suns Possible?
Post by: dasman on January 21, 2011, 01:47:01 PM
Since it is 1,300 light years away or more, it would have had to happen a long time ago for us to see it in our life time!
Title: Re: Two Suns Possible?
Post by: Garth Bock on January 21, 2011, 02:49:41 PM
I read through 4 articles about this and slowly felt my intelligence slipping away. First, we are observing a mass loss, the star has shrunk in on itself about 15% in 20 years and could nova or supernova....next year or in a million or never.This may be a cycle that giant stars go through. Second,  since Betelgeuse is 640 light years away the image we see happened 640 years ago. It could have nova'ed since then. We will have to wait for the light to get here from that point in time. Finally, if it did supernova'ed it would appear as a very bright daytime star with the size of a dime held 6 feet away. At night it would be bright as the full moon and cast shadows. Kind of like the 1054 AD Super Nova. As for the neutrinos that will gift us with gold and silver...etc.....neutrinos are massless and pass through everything without interacting. At least we are far enough away that the gamma rays from the supernova wont cook us. Two suns in the sky ??? hardly.....days with no night ???? plu..leezzz.
Title: Re: Two Suns Possible?
Post by: DanS on January 21, 2011, 06:07:44 PM
I read through 4 articles about this and slowly felt my intelligence slipping away. First, we are observing a mass loss, the star has shrunk in on itself about 15% in 20 years and could nova or supernova....next year or in a million or never.This may be a cycle that giant stars go through. Second,  since Betelgeuse is 640 light years away the image we see happened 640 years ago. It could have nova'ed since then. We will have to wait for the light to get here from that point in time. Finally, if it did supernova'ed it would appear as a very bright daytime star with the size of a dime held 6 feet away. At night it would be bright as the full moon and cast shadows. Kind of like the 1054 AD Super Nova. As for the neutrinos that will gift us with gold and silver...etc.....neutrinos are massless and pass through everything without interacting. At least we are far enough away that the gamma rays from the supernova wont cook us. Two suns in the sky ??? hardly.....days with no night ???? plu..leezzz.

This reminds me of the article about Mars closest approach to Earth last August and being as big as a full moon to the unaided eye and the brightest 'star' in the night sky,
Title: Re: Two Suns Possible?
Post by: Garth Bock on January 21, 2011, 09:28:33 PM
I just love it when non-scientific journalists try to report on stuff like this. It was funny that all the reports on this were written by hacks overseas. I found out that I was dead on with all the points I made except I said bright as a full moon but the correct brightness will be like a crescent moon.

And the truth will set you free .......

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

Title: Re: Two Suns Possible?
Post by: chief-david on January 21, 2011, 10:14:30 PM
Part of this is to feed on the 2012 paranoia. Many want to believe the Mayan calendar and are looking for answers to explain it. As if they want it to come true.   Betelgeuse is too far away to have a Supernova effect the Earth.
Title: Re: Two Suns Possible?
Post by: Garth Bock on January 22, 2011, 01:11:05 PM
Nothing new about a new star that appears, burns bright, and then collapses in on itself, self destructs and then fades out.......Lindsay Lohan, Brittany Spears,..... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
Title: Re: Two Suns Possible?
Post by: WeatherWitch on January 22, 2011, 01:20:31 PM
 =D>
Title: Re: Two Suns Possible?
Post by: KeithBC on February 04, 2011, 08:23:59 PM
A star in Orion (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/20/two-suns-twin-stars_n_811864.html) may go supernova and provide extra light.
No maybe about it; it certainly will.  The only question is when.  The most accurate answer available is "soon".

How soon is "soon"?  To an astronomer, 1000 years would be really, really soon, so don't hold your breath waiting for it.
Title: Re: Two Suns Possible?
Post by: xykotik on February 25, 2011, 11:21:18 AM
This reminds me of the article about Mars closest approach to Earth last August and being as big as a full moon to the unaided eye and the brightest 'star' in the night sky,

People send me that email EVERY August.  It started with an article that mentioned that with binoculars, mars would appear as large as the full moon to the unaided eye during it's closest approach.  But of course, excited folks eventually left that part out, then left out the year (2002 if I remember) and most people haven't ever tried to look at a planet (or the moon) with binoculars or a telescope not on a tripod or motor-guided to follow through the sky at such high power.  It's hard to even locate a planet in a telescope without an attached spotting-scope or motorized/computerized guide, let alone binoculars.
Title: Re: Two Suns Possible?
Post by: Andy Thompson on February 26, 2011, 03:07:48 PM
Quote
Part of this is to feed on the 2012 paranoia. Many want to believe the Mayan calendar and are looking for answers to explain it. As if they want it to come true. Betelgeuse is too far away to have a Supernova effect the Earth.
Is Betelgeuse the name of our current sun? What is a Supernova? That thing about the world ending in 2012 is a bunch a bull. The Aztecs (very smart people a log time ago that are proved by fact to be real) created a calendar that only goes to our time 2012. Some people that like to cause conspiracy think that when that calendar runs out that the world is going to end. It's not going to happen.
Title: Re: Two Suns Possible?
Post by: chief-david on February 26, 2011, 03:54:18 PM
Betelguese is the name of the red star in the constellation Orion.  Is is best seen in the SW sky during the winter months.  Look for Orions belt-three stars close together.  BG is his right shoulder.

Very far away.  When it does Supernova- it will give off light, but not enough to create another sun.  Could happen in the next 100,000 years-that is still soon.

The sun will not supernova. Its mass is not big enough to do that.   It will expand and wipe out the earth.... in 5 to 10 MILLION years.
Title: Re: Two Suns Possible?
Post by: Andy Thompson on February 26, 2011, 08:21:07 PM
Quote
The sun will not supernova. Its mass is not big enough to do that.   It will expand and wipe out the earth.... in 5 to 10 MILLION years.
What do you mean? I always thought that it would just get dim and run out of nitrogen and helium and then there would always nighttime.
Title: Re: Two Suns Possible?
Post by: DanS on February 26, 2011, 08:42:11 PM
This is what is predicted ... http://www.disclose.tv/action/viewvideo/54678/How_Our_Sun_Will_Die/
Title: Re: Two Suns Possible?
Post by: SlowModem on February 26, 2011, 09:37:47 PM
Our sun Sol will become a red giant and expand neary to Mars.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_giant#The_Sun_as_a_red_giant