Two Suns? Twin Stars Could Be Visible From Earth By 2012

[prettypuyol]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/20/two-suns-twin-stars_n_811864.html

Comments

[layweed]

Awesome!

Not so much because it's going to go kaboom, but because we actually talked about stars and shit in my Astrobiology class today, lol.

[prettypuyol]

I can't wait for the end-times wackjobs to have a field day with this.

[oxfordtweed]

Of all the awesome great things that have the potential to happen in my life time, I really hope I get to see Betelgeuse go.

Sorry, Ford.

[mercat]

:'C

[ravewalker]

My girlfriend's first response to seeing this article was "but where will Ford Prefect come from?!" :3

[oxfordtweed]

It's always been my theory that Ford is a hitchhiker because Betelgeuse went supernova. After all, when he talks to Hotblack at Milliways, he says that they were on New Betel.

Because that's where all the Betelgeusians relocated, naturally.

Has totally put way too much thought into the matter.

[avocado_love]

Stupid question time:

But... if it's 1300 light years away, wouldn't it have already happened quite a long time ago? And if it did explode, say, tomorrow, it's not like we'd see it for another 1300 years or so. And the particles he's talking about can't possibly move at light speed, right...?

*Scratches head*

[oxfordtweed]

It's probably already happened. We have the potential to see it in our lifetimes, but since we don't actually know how far away Betelgeuse is, amongst other factors, it's impossible to tell for sure.

The light we see from Betelgeuse is anywhere from 400-1200 years old, depending on which survey you get your numbers from. So, if Betelgeuse 'goes' tomorrow, it will have actually happened 400-1200 or whatever years ago, but we're only just seeing it.

[avocado_love]

I see. Thanks for the explanation!

[layweed]

Pretty much, yeah.

[prettypuyol]

CATS AND DOGS LIVING TOGETHER! MASS HYSTERIA!

[essyllus]

if there's no night during that timeframe... what's the effect going to be on wildlife and stuff T T?

[oxfordtweed]

Minimal. Something like this would only last about a fortnight, give or take.

Frankly, I'd be more afraid of the doomsayers than the wildlife.

[layweed]

If you gotta go though, what better way than being sucked into a black hole?

[oxfordtweed]

Oh, I know, right? Betelgeuse is far too far away to suck us in, though. And Sol is too small to collapse into one (in theory).

Still, as often as Betelgeuse has been in the news lately, it's really starting to get my hopes up that this will happen sooner, rather than later.