Betelgeuse: Star's weird dimming sparks rumors that its death is imminent

[–] ScorpioGlitch 5 points (+5|-0)

5 years ago

640 light years away

So... was 640 years ago. For all we know, it's already gone and is a black hole.

[–] xyzzy [OP] 5 points (+5|-0)

5 years ago

Yes, but we can probably see it supernova any minute now. Likely in the next 10000 years.

[–] ScorpioGlitch 4 points (+4|-0)

5 years ago

In the next 5,256,000,000,000 minutes. But any one of them...

[–] [Deleted] 3 points (+3|-0)

5 years ago

iirc its too small to become a black hole

[–] ScorpioGlitch 3 points (+3|-0)

5 years ago

It's not impossible: https://www.quora.com/Will-the-star-Betelgeuse-become-a-black-hole

[–] PCaut 2 points (+2|-0)

5 years ago

To summarise it, we have no idea what's going to happen. A few educated guesses. That's all.

The thing I'm worried about are pulses of high-energy-whatever sterilising half our planet, unopposed by solar wind and earth atmosphere. This would really ruin my day, even if it burned the opposite side. Can this object produce something like that?

[–] xyzzy [OP] 1 points (+1|-0)

5 years ago

Can this object produce something like that?

No, it's too far away. It could ruin planets more in it's proximity though.

Betelgeuse: Star's weird dimming sparks rumors that its death is imminent

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