this post was submitted on 17 Jun 2023
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[โ€“] [email protected] 25 points 1 year ago (3 children)

It's worth noting that when scientists talk about how it's "about to go" supernova, they are saying within the next 10,000 to 100,000 years at the very least.

[โ€“] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Dr Becky covered that paper in her video, where the new paper was suggesting within several decades to a hundred or so years. However that is also all based on simulations from observations.

[โ€“] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

I was going to recommend her recent video that covered the subject. A great explanation of exactly what happens to the fusion process in a star as it runs out of fuel, and what scientists are looking for to signal those changes.

[โ€“] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Link to that video for those interested: https://youtu.be/3QgLwpuDGhI

[โ€“] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago
[โ€“] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It's possible it already did. Takes a while for a us to see it

[โ€“] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

Over 600 years, but that's still miniscule compared to the lifetime of the star.

[โ€“] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I hope that's true! We're about at the perfect distance from Betelgeuse; far enough away that it won't hurt us, but close enough to get a great fireworks show!

[โ€“] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

I'm not sure about not hurting part. Yes, it will not cause a full on extinction, but extra night brightness will indeed kill some nocturnal species. Even caretta carettas might go extinct due to their newborns rely on stars for finding the sea.

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