Apocalypse Soon: Supernova Betelgeuse is Coming
Great informational article about a star in the Orion constellation, Betelgeuse ,and when it will go supernova.
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Its coming and it may reach Earth before 2012. In fact the gamma rays from the Orion star Betelgeuse, when it goes ballistic [Supernova] may hit us any day!
Many people are predicting the end of the Earth when the second brightest star of the Orion Constellation goes Nova. The Internet is being flooded with articles concerning the event is part of the Mayan Calendar 2012 predictions and the end of the world. But what are the facts about this very unusual event located approximately 600 – 800 million light years away from Mother Earth? (The Astronomical Journal –April 2008)
It is also interesting to note that the name of this red star is Betelgeuse, is associated with the “Devil” and evil machinations. Yet, the name Betelgeuse is a corruption of the Arabic word “yad al jauza,” which means the “hand of al-jauza.”. The word “al-jauza” is an ancient Arabic derivative which refers to “Central One,” or a mysterious woman.
The history of the bright star name Betelgeuse is a good example of how scholarly errors can slip into modern spoken word. Very early in pre-Islamic Arabia astronomers, called the star yad al-jawzā’, “hand of the jawzā’.” The jawzā’ was their name for the constellation Gemini. Greek astronomy blended with Arabian astronomy, the word was given to the bright star in the constellation Orion. Centuries later, scribes writing in Medieval Latin rendered the word misread the y as a b, which became the Medieval Latin form Bedalgeuze. During the Renaissance era, another set of scholars interpreted the first syllable bed– as being derived from a putative Arabic word *bāṭ meaning “armpit.” This word did not exist; it would correctly have been ibṭ. Nonetheless, the error stuck, and the new etymological spelling produced Betelgeuse, that melded into French as Bételgeuse, and finally in Late Old English as Betelgeuse.
But here are the scientific facts (theories and conjectures based on reason):
- One day Betelgeuse will appear as a giant explosion in the sky, which may be 4 times the size of a full moon.
- Most scientists believe the star is far enough away from Earth that the explosion blast and various particle rays emitted will not affect us drastically (if at all).
- This star is a huge mass of hydrogen gas that is (or did) going through a fusion process that changes the matter into heavier elements.
- It is one of the largest stars known in the universe to human astronomy.
- On June 9th, 2009 it was presented to The American Astronomical Society that Betelgeuse was shrinking. Calculations from 1993 to the present show a 15% decrease in the stars diameter.
- It is a pulsating star, whose brightness changes with the density of its atmosphere: 0.2 – 1.2 brightness magnitude, which makes it one of the 10 brightest stars in our sky.
- Betelgeuse is surrounded by many layers of dust and gas that it has already blown off through a very strong stellar wind and surround the star in a ring of solar dust.
- Betelgeuse is projected by science to be only 6 – 10 million years old.
- Science says the star had a core made of hydrogen and thermonuclear fusion has already run out at its core, thus gravity has contracted the core into a hotter and denser state. This process fuses helium into carbon and oxygen which produce enough radiation to swell out its outer layers of hydrogen and helium.
- The red star is relatively rich in nitrogen compared to a less evolved star like our Sun (Lambert 1984).
- In 1995 astronomers found an enormous bright area more than 2,000 °K, hotter than the surrounding surface of the star (Gilliland & Dupree, 1996).
- Betelgeuse’s diameter is roughly 500 times that of the Sun.
- If and when it turns into a supernova the threat to Earth would be from the blast waves. Is Betelgeuse one of the “smoking stars” to which Nezahualcoyotl referred in his 15th century Aztec prophecy? It probably will not cause any direct physical destruction, due to the huge distance between Betelgeuse and the Earth. But then again.
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10 Responses to “Apocalypse Soon: Supernova Betelgeuse is Coming”
On July 25, 2009 at 2:38 pm
very interesting and informing article….somewhere in my tabula rasa this has always been needling me conerning this particular red star. in light of our situational circumstances on the planet, and the irregularity of weather patterns coupled with world events as they are taking place it is a BONA FIDE EXPECTATION that be shoula commence to brace ourselves for. so…….BE MINDFUL – WATCH THE SKIES -PRAY- AND HOLD ON TO GOD’S UNCHANGING HAND……..BEST WISHES AND MY SINCERE WATCHFULNESS
JMH
On July 26, 2009 at 9:44 pm
Yes , pray !
Praying will change it all .
With a bit of faith , Betelgeuse will not go Boom .
The star will be become ice cream instead.
On July 28, 2009 at 10:55 pm
mmmm ice cream,what kind of ice cream?I’ll bet Oprah has a plan but deep down I think we all just want some ice cream.This article just makes it more delicious.
On August 1, 2009 at 12:41 am
I do not think that this star, Betelgeuse (also known as Alpha Orionis), is 600-8900 million light years away. It is more like 400-600 light-years. If it was 600 million – 800 million light-years that would mean the star is in another galaxy since the Milky Way is only 100,000 light-years long. The great Andromeda Galaxy is only 2 million light-years away.
On August 5, 2009 at 6:48 pm
600-800 light years away, not 600-800 million light years…
On August 10, 2009 at 10:14 pm
For more on the subject, read my article in PDF format titled “Seeing Red: Will Betelgeuse Go Supernova in 2012?”
http://www.theorionzone.com/betelgeuse_supernova_2012.pdf
On September 12, 2009 at 12:51 pm
First of all, I have to tell you one thing. Betelguese has probably already exploded 600 to 800 years ago. We have a chance to see the replay in 2012. So by the time we see the explosion, there should be no direct damage to us.
On November 15, 2009 at 1:48 pm
No, Betelgeuse has not yet exploded. This article is half-wrong… Betelgeuse is expected to go supernova (explode) within the next CENTURY. That means we may not be alive to experience it. Traveling at light-speed, light from the blast may take as much as 400 years to reach our planet. I am writing a report and have seen the facts that I just stated at lease five times in published newspaper articles. Sorry!
On January 6, 2010 at 3:43 pm
SophyLynne-
The only observable evidence of anything going on in the vicinity of Betelgeuse moves at the speed of light. Betelgeuse is about 640 light years away (where 1 ly is the distance light travels in a year), so we observe Betelgeuse with about a 640 year lag. We have no way of knowing right now whether Betelgeuse has gone supernova or not. Some of the evidence points to the star getting ready to explode, but we don’t know when that will happen. If it went supernova today, the light would not reach us for 640 years (give or take), but since the evidence is that the light reaching us now (640 or so years old) shows a marked and steady contraction of Betelgeuse’s volume, then it is more likely that it has already happened, and we are waiting on the light to hit us.
Bear in mind, newspaper articles, even those in a “science” section of a newspaper, are error prone when it comes to science reporting, mostly due to a lack of familiarity with the subject, or as a way of spinning a story to an audience. Also note that an observed supernova (light incident on Earth) tomorrow, would be “within the next century” from now.
On January 14, 2010 at 7:31 pm
1. relative to the observer on Earth, the light seen from Betelgeuse today is between 500 and 600 years old.
2. The Berkeley observations, with the same modern instrument all 15 years, definitely detects that the diameter of the star has reduced 15 percent. Also, recently Hubbel has detected a luminous hot spot, and the Southern European observatory has determined that a large plume of stellar material is being ejected.
3. Once gravitational collapse begine, no force can stop it. Fifteen years of continous contraction is a strong indicator that a gravitation collapse is occuring.
4. Theorists postulate that the supernova, when it does occur, will be “about four times bigger than the full moon” which is almost the size of the sun. Therefore, the radiant, bright outer layers of the star will be, for a short period of time, maybe a hundred hours, may be four times the size of the sun.
5. Additionally, all scientists are certain that the first minutes of the final collapse will be thousands of times brighter than the sun.
6. So, we will probably not be affected by the radiation of subnuclear particles, but by light and heat. For several days we will have an object bigger, brighter and hotter than the sun, adding to the planet’s heat.
7. Additionally, some speculate that some larger Type II Supernovas include a strong EM pulse. This might affect radio communications for some time, and may fry all the satellites we have launched into space.
8. While no one can say, exactly, when the supernova’s light will hit us, I can state with out fear of arguement, that the smaller the star gets, the closer the total mass of the star gets to the very center. Therefore, we should see a logarythmin acelleration of the collapse in the year or so before the final event.
9. My calculations indicate this can not happen before 2018-2019.
10. Further, the longer it takes to collapse, the bigger the boom and radiation and heat will become.
11. Betelgeuse may have a hidden stellar companion lurking under its outer layers. This might account for the unequal brightness and the flare seen byt the SEO.
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