For astronomers, “The explosion of Betelgeuse will be visible for 3 months” (even during the day): video

Astronomers simulated what humans on Earth would see when the star Betelgeuse explodes as a supernova

Today, astronomers know that Betelgeuse varies in brightness because it is a dying red giant star about the same diameter as Betelgeuse About 700 times larger than our sun. One day, the star will explode as a supernova and provide humanity with a heavenly spectacle before disappearing from the night sky forever.

Simulation of a Betelgeuse explosion

With all the speculation about what a Betelgeuse supernova would look like from Earth, two UCSF graduate students, Jared Goldberg and Evan Bauer, have created an accurate simulation of the future supernova. Astronomers say there is still uncertainty about how the supernova evolved, but they have been able to increase their accuracy Using observations made during supernova 1987A.

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Life on Earth will not be harmed. But this does not mean that it will go unnoticed. Goldberg and Bauer found that when Betelgeuse explodes, it will shine like a crescent moon, and nine times lighter than the full moon. For more than three months.

Potential problems

No need to worry about exploding stars. Because radiation can harm life, A supernova would need to come close to Earth, perhaps within a few dozen light-years, according to some estimates. Betelgeuse falls outside this range, with recent studies suggesting it is approximately 100 degrees It is 724 light years away from us, outside the danger zone. But a supernova can still affect Earth in surprising ways. For example, Howell points out that many animals use the moon to orient themselves, and are disoriented by artificial lights. Add A second bright object such as the Moon can have a disruptive effect. It’s not just wildlife that may be disturbed; Even astronomers themselves will have difficulty during night observations. Below, here’s the video (in the next paragraph, here’s when it happens):

But when will that happen?

He made the star Betelgeuse and continues to make people talk about himself. a Super giant rossa Like Betelgeuse with a similar mass to the one identified, it has been burning helium in the core for about 1.2 million years. Assuming that the star is in the center of complete helium combustion, this means that it still has about 600,000 years of life left, that is, about a thousand times longer than the time it takes light to cover the 548 light-years that separate us. From the star. But even in the most extreme case, where Betelgeuse is still burning helium, but perhaps has almost run out of it, and started burning carbon, well… even then the answer wouldn’t change much. To burn carbon, you’d need Betelgeuse About 1200 years to be exhausted, about twice the travel time of its light of 548 years. Therefore we can say that according to these new results (Here you will find more information), The answer is no.”

sourceCover image source: SPACE TAINMENT