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[–]Boomer8450 2258 points2259 points ago

Not a supernova. Eta Carinae is big and unstable, and shedding mass, but is not a supernova... yet. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eta_Carinae

[–]CrunchyChewie 356 points357 points ago

Are there any pictures of an actual supernova anywhere?

[–]grrrranimal 196 points197 points ago

sn 1006 is a remnant now but it was visibly going nova in the year 1006. like visible without a telescope, which is kinda crazy

[–]manute3392 173 points174 points ago

the "...spectacle was a large circular body, 2½ to 3 times as large as Venus. The sky was shining because of its light. The intensity of its light was a little more than a quarter that of Moon light."

Shit....

[–]OldTimeGentleman 140 points141 points ago

I can't believe we missed it by a mere millenium !

[–]i_am_sad 101 points102 points ago

Seriously.

How many billions of years did that star exist?

IN A BLINK OF AN EYE, THE DESTRUCTION OF THAT STAR WAS MISSED.

[–]DrMcDr 54 points55 points ago

What's extra crazy is that it was long dead before we were able to see it take its last breath.

[–]DownvoteBank 54 points55 points ago

"...widely seen on Earth beginning in the year 1006; Earth was about 7,200 light years away from the supernova."

Which means it probably died in 6195 B.C. And we saw it 7,200 years later. I bet if we can go to the right corners of the universe we can still see it go supernova.

[–]juaydarito 75 points76 points ago

We'd have to be able to travel at ludicrous speed

[–]oracle989 104 points105 points ago

Just go Ludacris speed. Zero to MOVEBITCHGETOUTTHEWAY in 2.3 seconds.

[–]PibRm 47 points48 points ago

We'll go to plaid!

[–]kromagnon 17 points18 points ago

Anywhere outside of an 8200 light-year radius from the star will do it. The hard part is making it there before the light does...

[–]HaMMeReD 9 points10 points ago

I wonder how many civilizations get wiped out every time there is a supernova.

[–]LazerVik1ng 16 points17 points ago

slopping dirt into wheel barrow

"Look!"

"THE HEAVENS STIR!"

stand looking at sn 1006 for three minutes

"Maybe someone will mention this moment in a millennium?"

shrug, continue to slop dirt into wheel barrow

[–]steelerman82 407 points408 points ago

yes. google 1987A

[–]cb7 417 points418 points ago

[–]imsittingdown 1236 points1237 points ago

for the lazier with RES:

http://i.imgur.com/nsQ8E1d.jpg

[–]cb7 355 points356 points ago

[–]Captain_Kap 193 points194 points ago

and for the lazier with RES

http://i.imgur.com/LH3TJDF.gif

[–]whatwereyouthinking 72 points73 points ago

i'm lazier than RES. I have the chrome addon "HoverZoom" i mouse over the image and it pops up. sometimes I'm too lazy to even do that.

[–]MANTIS_POWER 11 points12 points ago

yeah if it's too far across the page, its just not worth my finger energy

[–]ltredbeard 443 points444 points ago

Did anyone else notice that took place over 15 years

[–]M002 1259 points1260 points ago

you must have a slow computer....

[–]Spooooooooooooon 132 points133 points ago

Must have forgot to push the turbo button...

Damn 386s. ಠ_ಠ

[–]gueriLLaPunK 40 points41 points ago

Fun fact: The turbo button was actually meant to slow down the CPU for older programs that couldn't handle higher clock speeds.

[–]Failedexe 26 points27 points ago

I'm old enough to remember that, I ended up taking apart my old pc and remember that the button didn't actually connect to anything, it just displayed that the speed was increased lol.

[–]arrow_proof_kneepads 67 points68 points ago

Most the reddit population is to young to get this joke.

[–]PetGiraffe 290 points291 points ago

Ba dum tsh

[–]loveiresong 231 points232 points ago

your reaction should be:

HOLY MOTHERFUCKING SHIT THAT HAPPENED IN ONLY 15 YEARS!?!?!?!?!

[–]lostinsamaya 156 points157 points ago

also the fact that the whole phenomenon finished way before we were able to see it and capture it. Because distance motherfucker!

[–]GTCharged 159 points160 points ago

Distance Motherfucker, can you SEE IT?

[–]Stupider 16 points17 points ago

That's just because you're sitting around. To the photons that made up those photos, the explosion and moment of recording were almost instantaneous.

[–]scatmanbynight 17 points18 points ago

As someone who seems like they might have a better grasp on what's going on here than I do can you explain what I am seeing? Specifically why it seems to dim from '94-'03 and then begins to get really bright.

[–]bagehi 38 points39 points ago

What you are seeing is the dimming of the initial explosion. The supernova's light began to reach the earth in 1987. The first image in that gif was from 1994, after it had been "exploding" (I guess you could say) for seven years. Over the life of a star, and more frequently the closer it is to death, a star throws a lot of shells of gas off - like the OP's image - those had cooled at a distance from the star before it exploded. That ring you see getting brighter is that matter reigniting as the wave of exploded star hits it.

[–]I_go_faster_than_c 26 points27 points ago

Astrophysicist here. What is your question, precisely?

[–]loveiresong 6 points7 points ago

Sorry man. I have a "liberal arts" understanding of astronomy (what physicists often jokingly call "deepism") so I'm not much help. I'm not even sure if that picture is of "light" or something else on the spectrum. I know supernovas happen when high mass stars collapse in on themselves but I'm ignorant to that timeline.

But stars have life cycles of billions and billions of years and when you think that this happens in a mere 15 years...that's pretty amazing.

[–]franksnb 79 points80 points ago

lol, it took 167,000 years for the light to reach earth 15 years ago.

[–]Youre_Government 39 points40 points ago

I think redbeard was commenting on the fact that the gif was time-lapse over a 15 year long period

[–]AmericanTeenager 5 points6 points ago

Space events are typically longer than Earth events.

[–]photoknut 39 points40 points ago

Wow, thats awesome. Can anyone explain exactly what i am seeing here?

[–]weretree 81 points82 points ago

Basically: the star was ejecting material before the supernova, which is now being caught up by the material ejected by the actual supernova, resulting in it heating up a ring of material near the remnant. (usually there's also some heating by the left over neutron star, but in this case it's a little odd because it can't be found, see the wikipedia article)

[–]Bandor_the_destroyer 18 points19 points ago

Neutron stars are results of high mass stars after supernova But as most stars in the universe are around our Suns size medium-low mass they will result in white dwarf stars

[–]Cuntosaurus 3 points4 points ago

Amazing

[–]dunkarouse 39 points40 points ago

I can't be the only one that thinks this is both haunting and unbelievably beautiful.

[–]SweetNeo85 171 points172 points ago

Even more beautiful when you learn that every element heavier than helium boron was formed inside a star, and every element heavier than iron was formed during a supernova. That's the only way they form naturally. Every atom of your body is literally stardust.

That's fucking mind-blowing, heh.

[–]shoulderdestruction 58 points59 points ago

Obligarory: We are the universe experiencing itself.

Every time I need some motivation, this is one of the things I picture. Our time is short, so make it count.

[–]EltonJuan 57 points58 points ago

You'd better not be posting on reddit later today.

[–]StraY_WolF 7 points8 points ago

Nah, he'll just post it on facebook and some guy gonna post it later on reddit.

The cycle of the universe internet.

[–]chilehead 31 points32 points ago

Some of us are the universe pleasuring itself.

[–]MisallocatedRacism 19 points20 points ago

And here we are sitting around masturbating.

[–]Friend_of_Phloyd 18 points19 points ago

The universe is currently experiencing loose stools.

[–]aazium 26 points27 points ago

Finally, a fun fact I can use to impress the ladies.

"Hey baby, every atom in my body came from outer space. Impressed?"

[–]satisfyreality 9 points10 points ago

I think you should use it in a more poetic manner if you want to get laid.

[–]aazium 31 points32 points ago

I am not a smart man.

[–]wekR 2 points3 points ago

[–]jemyr 34 points35 points ago

It looks like Sauron's eye "A great eye, lidless, wreathed in flame."

[–]zevah 17 points18 points ago

You are not

[–]godmoderage 9 points10 points ago

It scares the piss out of me but I still find it really beautiful.

[–]analyseforus 84 points85 points ago

Scientists should instagram.

[–]aazium 28 points29 points ago

"Boring day at work and then HOLY SHIT SUPERNOVA #wishyouwerehere"

I think twitter would be more entertaining.

[–]Briax 18 points19 points ago

Eye of Sauron

[–]gordonmcdowell 20 points21 points ago

"Enhance?"

[–]maxaemilianus 48 points49 points ago

Get a bigger mirror.

Or a closer galaxy.

[–]MyFeebleMind 17 points18 points ago

[–]therealSC2p2 25 points26 points ago

My god, it's full of pixels!

[–]_it_was_me 50 points51 points ago

?

[–]kavorka2 18 points19 points ago

How long does a supernova last? Minutes? Days? Years?

[–]steelerman82 34 points35 points ago

Most supernova events that we can see with the naked eye take place over the course of a few weeks. There was a cool one in the Pinwheel Galaxy in August of 2011. I think it was visible for about a week or two. To be technical, the supernova (the explosion) is probably over quickly, but the remnants can last for millions of years as planetary nebulea. It all depends on how good your telescope is.

[–]kavorka2 33 points34 points ago

What I find amazing about the question I asked is that whatever the "correct" answer is I would have believed (a) less than a second, (b) about a million years, or (c) anything in between.

[–]steelerman82 7 points8 points ago

I know. Also consider that for a moment, a supernova outshines all of the stars in its galaxy combined.

[–]CapWasRight 14 points15 points ago

This depends on how you define it. The actual collapse and rebound happens in a matter of literally seconds, I believe.

After that it really depends on when you decide it stops being a supernova and starts being a remnant/nebula - I don't know that there's a clear demarcation, some supernova remnants probably stay pretty high energy for quite a number of years. You could possibly argue that the Crab Nebula is still undergoing the last stages of the process - it certainly is still quite energetic (although the pulsar may contribute most of that).

I personally think a better definition might be to say it stops being a supernova when nucleosynthesis stops, and I'm not sure what the time scale on that is (the lions share of it happens in the first few minutes or so, I'd expect).

Disclaimer: I'm not a professional astrophysicist so there may be a formal demarcation line that I'm unaware of

[–]ParrotofDoom 15 points16 points ago

Also search for Crab Nebula expansion:

http://spiff.rit.edu/classes/phys231/crab/crab.html

[–]yul_brynner 45 points46 points ago

Jesus, was it that hard to link to this or this?

[–]WoodzEX 29 points30 points ago

Maybe he was on his phone..

[–]tazcel 17 points18 points ago

You're joking, right? Jesus won't do it if you can do it. I thought we all knew this basic rule.

[–]keenemaverick 3 points4 points ago

Which means Jesus will never take the wheel.

So learn to drive, fundies!

[–]Endyo 5 points6 points ago

There are a lot. Mostly in other galaxies. They are extremely bright. There are also tons of pictures of supernova remnants.

[–]Baron_Tartarus 22 points23 points ago

Yeah if i'm not mistaken that thing that looks like an explosion is actually gasses illuminated from within by a really bright star. It just looks a lot like a really violent explosion.

[–]Astrokiwi 11 points12 points ago

well... it kinda is what it looks like in the sense that it's gas flying out at high speeds. The only difference between that and an explosion is that the star is still largely intact.

[–]JMets6986 56 points57 points ago

Never go full supernova.

[–]TheGiggity 35 points36 points ago

Damn OP get slapped

[–]gravesville 11 points12 points ago

Supernova Goes Pop

[–]philcannotdance 10 points11 points ago

Came here because I was skeptical and wanted proof that this was true or false. Thank you!

[–]stagnant94 190 points191 points ago

i really hope Betelgeuse blows up in my life time, apparently it will be like seeing a second sun in the sky for a week. imagine how awesome that would be.

[–]mus0u 112 points113 points ago

If I'm not mistaken, it'll be more of a blindingly bright dot, rather than a sun-sized disk. It won't outshine the sun, but its light would be strong enough for you to read a book at night.

EDIT: To clarify; I understood stagnant94's statement as hoping to see Betel's SN, not for it to go SN in our time.

[–]tittyfister69 6 points7 points ago

A professor I had for an astronomy class said it would look more like a full moon at night. Bright enough to easily walk around at night without any other light source.

[–]AnswersComeInDreams 1 point2 points ago

Would it be dangerous to look at, like a welding arc? e.g., Super bright but intense enough to damage the retina because it is such a small size? (Or maybe welding light is just UV-heavy that causes the damage, I forget.)

[–]Druzl 53 points54 points ago

Predicted time frame for it is in the next million years, hope you've got some longevity in your family history

[–]stagnant94 41 points42 points ago

within the next million years, that means theirs a chance

[–]caractacuspotts 69 points70 points ago

I think what you mean is 'I hope Betelgeuse blew up around 640 light years ago so I can see it explode in my lifetime'.

[–]influenza 239 points240 points ago

640 Light years ago

[–]Andorion 10 points11 points ago

640 Light years parsecs ago

[–]Ideaslug 18 points19 points ago

And what I think you mean is 'I hope Betelgeuse blew up around 640 years ago so I can see it explode in my lifetime'.

[–]maxaemilianus 16 points17 points ago

Careful what you wish for . . . . we don't really, truly know what the impact of that would be to us here.

[–]mewseymewbobble 102 points103 points ago

If I could choose my death, I'd die by celestial chaos, and if Betelgeuse would kill us all, I wouldn't even be mad. It'd be a beautiful death.

[–]Zoydude 44 points45 points ago

Peacefully in my bed from old age is my top pick.

[–]kinnaq 68 points69 points ago

Miss Scarlet in the Conservatory with the Rope.

[–]Casban 21 points22 points ago

Kinky.

[–]elmariachi304 40 points41 points ago

I wanna die peacefully in my sleep, like my grandfather did. Not screaming in terror like the passengers in his car. ~ Jack Handey

[–]Pwnzu_Sauce 17 points18 points ago

Killed by supernova? I ain't even mad.

[–]boatmurdered 4 points5 points ago

I have always been fond of death by comet impact.

If I die, I want as many of you fuckers to go with me as possible.

[–]drunkdoor 2 points3 points ago

"If When I die I want everyone else to die too"

[–]grapefruit_ 14 points15 points ago

That saying always amuses me. Like his offhand wishes could have an effect on the lifetime of a red super giant.

[–]Aloss 3 points4 points ago

Wait! They don't?!

[–]onemissingbutton 33 points34 points ago

Looks kind of like a cell during mitosis

[–]jonathan5150 13 points14 points ago

It always freaks me out when something in nature looks so eerily similar to something living... but it happens more often than not. Coincidence?

[–]mewseymewbobble 15 points16 points ago

Just another philosophical idea, that we are all connected to everything.

Just look at the map of the universe -- looks like a bunch of brain cells.

[–]jonathan5150 9 points10 points ago

Yeah that's one I've always seen as well, quite beautiful really. I think there's more to it than just a philosophical idea, but we probably won't know for a long time.

[–]andres7832 137 points138 points ago

How fast does a supernova blow up? I mean, we have atomic bombs here on earth and their detonation takes seconds to achieve full power, but this is a star blowing up, does it happen over minutes, hours, days or longer?

What a mind blowing picture.

[–]Riodashio 237 points238 points ago

Though the radiation coming off of such an explosion may be visible for many months here on earth, the actual explosion, I believe, is very, very short. Stars, once burned out, collapse in a matter of minutes at most - Which is impressive, considering their size. Also, this isn't a supernova, or even an explosion. This is just how the star http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eta_Carinae appears, has appeared, and will appear for quite some time, until it will, with some likelyhood, explode - Not in a supernova, but a hypernova. So although OP's a phoney once again, it's an impressive picture nonetheless.

[–]Light-of-Aiur 141 points142 points ago

Hypernova?

(reading wikipedia...)

Holy fuck muffins. This... this is a thing?!

Damn, space, you scary.

[–]SuppenPuppen 37 points38 points ago

"long-duration gamma ray burst"

That'll make one helluva toasted marshmallow, but it had better be on a long stick.

[–]FountainsOfFluids 10 points11 points ago

That's a big twinkie.

[–]Ephemeris 49 points50 points ago

Upvote for fuck muffins. The breakfast of champions.

[–]TLDRName 9 points10 points ago

Age of Star: ~ <3 × 106

Aww, look the star hearts us times 106

[–]Thewindowframe 13 points14 points ago

Sorry to be so ignorant, but what is the difference between a supernova and a hypernova?

[–]Riodashio 78 points79 points ago

Well, while a supernova is enormous, and you cannot possibly grasp the idea of its size, a hypernova is, how to put it.. well, bigger.

[–]misterchief117 9 points10 points ago

A hypernova? That sounds intense!

[–]MeinKampfire 31 points32 points ago

How fast does a supernova blow up? I mean, we have atomic bombs here on earth and their detonation takes seconds to achieve full power, but this is a star blowing up, does it happen over minutes, hours, days or longer?

It all depends what you mean by "full power". Using your atomic bombs analogy, you should know that they release their full yield in a matter of nanoseconds, and that the resulting fireball is what takes a few seconds to expand fully. The actual explosion part, or nuclear reaction, is incredibly short.

Now, for stars, it's essentially the same thing. There are many different mechanisms for the appearance of supernovas, but they mostly follow the same pattern: inward pressure (caused by gravity) of the star rises faster than its outward radiation pressure, causing the quick fusion of hydrogen into helium, which continues for a few seconds or minutes, until the radiation pressure from released energy becomes greater than the inward pressure and blows out the star's outer layers. Like in atomic bombs, the "yield" of the supernova is released rather quickly (generally in the order of seconds or minutes), but the "explosion" looks like it lasts for a few years because in space, with nothing to stop it, the gas cloud ejected by the supernova explosion expands pretty much forever.

In the case of core-collapse supernovas, electrons from iron and nickel at the core of a star actually combine with their corresponding protons, which happens in a fraction of a second. The core collapses so fast that its outer layers reach a decent fraction of the speed of light as they fall towards their center, before rebounding outward and sending a powerful shock wave which breaks the star apart. Now, although the collapse of the core happens almost instantly and causes the core to contract at almost a quart of the speed of light, stars which undergo this kind of explosion are so large that the core collapses for a few seconds before rebounding and causing the star to explode. Once again, the outer layers take forever to expand, giving the impression of a long-lasting reaction.

[–]be_moore 12 points13 points ago

Fraction of a second, depending on type. The brightness lasts for potentially years.

http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/16wkh7/how_long_does_it_take_for_a_star_to_go_supernova/

[–]happywaffle 331 points332 points ago

While it is an actual photograph, it's worth mentioning that this is not what it "looks like." First, the image was partially taken with near-ultraviolet light, which your eyes can't see at all. Second, the light from it is extremely faint, so even without the UV thing your eyes STILL couldn't see it. (Source for both)

So, what WOULD it look like to an outside observer? Pretty much like any other bright star.

EDIT: From one of the reply comments, here's a visible-wavelength image. A little better than "just another bright star," but still not quite as awesome as image processing reveals it to be.

[–]DeathCampForCuties 36 points37 points ago

Looks like cell division.

[–]Bebopopotamus 31 points32 points ago

It is if you think about it long enough.

[–]KegsOfMoreVomitspit 60 points61 points ago

Would you be able to see the explosion if you were theoretically close enough?

[–]MagnificentJake 199 points200 points ago

Yes, but not for very long.

[–]MasterJanks 95 points96 points ago

Because it would be over quickly? Or because you'd be dead?

[–]gimpsamurai 436 points437 points ago

Yes.

[–]Dances_with_Sheep 8 points9 points ago

A supernova is so violent that most of the light coming off of it is too far off the blue end of the spectrum for our naked eyes to see.

So being close enough to see enough visible light might mean being too close to survive. I haven't done the math though.

[–]edjca 84 points85 points ago

Yes.

[–]OldAssMan 189 points190 points ago

Bummer on that karma, bro.

[–]gimpsamurai 70 points71 points ago

I am willing to share... if he is willing to high five me in front of everyone.

[–]MrNewking 24 points25 points ago

[–]gimpsamurai 12 points13 points ago

YOU CANT TELL ME WHAT TO DO!

(I did it anyway... thats a tiny hand.)

[–]edjca 10 points11 points ago

[–]Spindax 13 points14 points ago

1 minute too late.

[–]maxaemilianus 12 points13 points ago

Yes. And NOTHING ELSE.

There is a lot of radiation involved in a supernova, or even a star as big as Eta Carinae. So you could see it up close, but it would be the last thing you ever saw.

[–]trakam 56 points57 points ago

What if you were wearing one of those lead aprons used by dentists?

[–]unomaly 37 points38 points ago

or in a refrigerator?

[–]ocdscale 17 points18 points ago

You wouldn't be able to see it if you were in a refridgerator. Also, where would you plug it in?

[–]astrosheff 15 points16 points ago

While it is a false-colour image, it is still visible. From the ground with your eyes, you would see nothing different. However, with a fairly modest telescope you can see the nebula surrounding the star in visible wavelengths. This website monitors EtaCar and even has "colour" images, as you would roughly see with your eye directly. Even with the small mirror and not-ideal resolution you can see the outlines of the nebula. Image it in those bands on Hubble and you get the same thing. In fact, the link you give is a composite UV and R-band image. R band is visible by eye. This is a "natural colour" composite taken by Hubble, to give you a better idea of what it might actually look like.

[–]Starklet 8 points9 points ago

But that's so boring...

[–]PNWSam 26 points27 points ago

[–]3930K_and_2_ea_7970 27 points28 points ago

I spy a robot face on the left half of that photo.

[–]be_moore 9 points10 points ago

So you didn't see the Koala just right of center?

[–]mus0u 21 points22 points ago

What perk class is that..?

[–]popeye_the_destroyer 21 points22 points ago

This isn't a supernova but it's still pretty awe inspiring. Also I'm confused as to why people seem so sad about representing invisible wavelengths with visible colours. All the talk about artistic licence and photoshopping seem to suggest 'fakeness' with a dissapointed or negative connotation and that probably shouldn't be the case. This explains it well I think: http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/explore/blog/112-Phony-Colors-Or-Just-Misunderstood-

[–]ghostinahumanshape 71 points72 points ago

looks like a champagne super nova in the sky.

[–]Jackpot777 22 points23 points ago

Looks like it was caught beneath the landslide.

[–]SirConcision 15 points16 points ago

/Looks back in anger

[–]samferrara 14 points15 points ago

Don't!

[–]outphase84 27 points28 points ago

Something something combo breaker

[–]Thefinalwerd 7 points8 points ago

Is that where I can find you?

[–]thebody10 9 points10 points ago

Cool how it takes the same shape as electron clouds in a d orbital

[–]inked-up 22 points23 points ago

Still amazes me that we have the technology to see this

[–]tooslider 159 points160 points ago

might also be tobias' balls.

[–]wongo 45 points46 points ago

Up close, they always look like landscapes.

[–]Shroomsareawesome 14 points15 points ago

Hubblesite.org people. If you want to see this kind of stuff, pretty much every picture of anything you want to see in space is on this website.

[–]Rinkeli 33 points34 points ago

[–]EccentricBolt 7 points8 points ago

Is there a reason that the expansion is not 360 degrees in all directions? It seems that most is radiating from the "top" and "bottom". I'd think it would expand in all directions equally in the vacuum of space.

[–]VirginiaVN900 8 points9 points ago

I'll take a stab. Some combination of star rotation, gravitational forces and strong magnetic influence on the super light matter flying out into space.

I am a fully unqualified lay person.

[–]EccentricBolt 5 points6 points ago

Hmm. I can buy that.

[–]RE1Do 5 points6 points ago

Eta Carinae pre-supernova was the Astronomy Picture of The Day for March 26, 2006.

If you liked this, you should check out that website!

[–]Wisdom_from_the_Ages 96 points97 points ago

No, it's not.

[–]AZ_Squeegee 9 points10 points ago

No, it's not. That is Eta Carinae, a known supergiant. The cloud you see is due to large scale mass ejections due to thermodynamic instabilities inside the star. It may go supernova some day, but it's not happening yet.

[–]beta_ray_phil 7 points8 points ago

Definitely not a supernova. that's Eta Carinae, and it's classified as a "supernova imposter", among other things. more info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eta_Carinae#System_and_properties

and here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supernova_impostor

[–]TheTallCoolOne 12 points13 points ago

I feel as if millions of voices cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced...

[–]vinnieb12 6 points7 points ago

spock was too late

[–]mattyjd 8 points9 points ago

ITS A TRAP!

[–]thisguyspencer 1 point2 points ago

Anyone else instantly think of Xenon whenever they see the word supernova? :/

[–]Hidden_Obviousness 3 points4 points ago

One of the coolest thoughts I've heard about space, is that some of the stars we see today may not even be around anymore, and we see them because the light is just now reaching us.

[–]Cobol 3 points4 points ago

A man said to the universe: 'Sir, I exist!' 'However,' replied the universe, 'The fact has not created in me A sense of obligation.'

-Steven Crane

[–]me8myself 5 points6 points ago

I guess Hubble is not as cool as I thought. Cool guys never look at explosions.

[–]fraziercu 4 points5 points ago

From an astrophysicist friend of mine: "Nope that's not a SN (super nova)... it's a famous system called Eta Carinae (spelling might be wrong)... That system was originally classified as single star, but later was discovered to be a binary. It's classified today as an emission nebula (aka containing a cloud of ionized gas around it which allows for all the color and such) (note- these pics are typically multiple filters and therefore not true coloring). Back in the day this system did have an mimic/false/impostor SN event. But obviously since the system is still alive it couldn't have been a SN (as it should have died in that case)!

[–]buku 1 point2 points ago

YAaaaawwwwn, that's so 8 billion years ago or so

[–]whatisitdragons 3 points4 points ago

sighs

No, it's not. It's Eta Carinae. Just a very big star shedding layers. If I remember correctly, the only star we have ever seen go supernova in modern times was years ago. And the star was in another galaxy (one of the Magellanic clouds if I remember correctly).

-an astrophysics major

[–]mtbrider 9 points10 points ago

Actually it's not a photograph, it's a spectograph. The hubble telescope takes a "Picture" But this picture is not just a picture, it's more of an analysis of all the chemicals and the ranges of the spectrum in the specific area. They then paint in colors to match the spectrum.

[–]Bolusop 8 points9 points ago

I want a source, a detailed story and a high resolution image (to become my new desktop and mobile wallpaper). Thanks.

[–]MissCheeks 8 points9 points ago

How very... Virginia O'Keefe.

[–]FlizmFlazm 18 points19 points ago

you mean Georgia O'Keefe?

[–]snang 8 points9 points ago

You mean Alabama O'Keefe?

[–]FDolarhyde 8 points9 points ago

You mean Keifer Sutherland?

[–]mrdelayer 9 points10 points ago

This is an actual repost of a photograph posted to /r/space four months ago, posted by an alt of MindVirus.

[–]FDolarhyde 11 points12 points ago

When will our sun go Supernova?

[–]PaganAng3l 47 points48 points ago

Our sun isn't large enough to go supernova. Towards the end of it's life it will swell to a red giant, then become unstable as it runs out of fuel. Afterwards it will shed it's outer layers as it loses the battle with gravity and become a white dwarf.

[–]FDolarhyde 12 points13 points ago

Man, stars are crazy. As it runs out of fuel, what will happen to us (or rather the people on earth at that time)?

[–]PaganAng3l 16 points17 points ago

Well the sun will grow brighter and hotter as time goes on eventually boiling away our oceans and atmosphere long before it becomes a red giant, which would probably spell the end of life on Earth. As if that weren't enough of a death sentence, when the sun balloons out into a red giant it would likely extend beyond Earth's orbit, completely engulfing the planet.

[–]irrationalNumber 2 points3 points ago

Which is why we need to find other star systems to colonize.

I know that this won't happen for billions of years, but it's always good to have a backup plan. Besides, there are plenty of other things that could cause mass extinctions or planetary destruction. There are been numerous times in Earth's past where 90% of life has been wiped out.

The frustrating part is that humans can't even get their shit together on this planet and work together. Even within countries and cities and towns, people still rage against one another over things that shouldn't matter. We still define ourselves, divide ourselves, and persecute and kill ourselves by invisible lines drawn in the sand, by color of our skin, by things we believe, by biological factors that we cannot control. I wish people could grow up and realize that we can all work together and be happy. And then we can work together to explore and inhabit a wider universe.

Goddamnit, can't we all just get along?

[–]chris10023 32 points33 points ago

We'll be eaten up by the sun when it turns into a Red Giant, along with Mercury, Venus and Mars

Edit: i meant red giant, not dwarf

[–]FDolarhyde 12 points13 points ago

Someone should make a funny gif of that.

[–]Gedaffa_Mhylon 6 points7 points ago

get Universe Simulator on /r/Steam. It's kind of hard to NOT collapse the solar system.

[–]PaganAng3l 12 points13 points ago

A fact that I think too few people know is that every atom in your body was once at the heart of a long dead star. In fact a star an only fuse up to iron and once it does it only has SECONDS to live. Gold, silver, and heavy elements likely all come from a super massive star that went supernova and fused those elements in it's ultra violent death knell. Think about that the next time you see someone wearing a wedding band. =D

[–]maxaemilianus 3 points4 points ago

That's around 2 billion years from now. I wouldn't worry about people, because those people won't be us or anything we even recognize as us.

[–]CleanBaldy 5 points6 points ago

So, what you're saying is that we better start planning the gigantic rocket boosters now, to move the earth out of the way?

[–]witchbutter 11 points12 points ago

Never, it's too small and will become a white dwarf.

[–]DrPinch 24 points25 points ago

white dwarf

Caucasian little person, you racist!

[–]Chostany 7 points8 points ago

The Sun will not go supernova as it lacks a companion star. The sun is a medium-mass star and will eventually die by becoming a giant, possibly producing a planetary nebula, and then collapsing into a white dwarf. Models of the sun suggest that it may survive for an additional 6 billion years or so, but it is already growing more luminous as it fuses hydrogen into helium. In just 2 billion years, the sun's luminosity will have increased by 10 to 20 percent, and Earth's oceans will have been evaporated to form a dense, humid atmosphere.

In about 5 billion years, the sun will exhaust hydrogen in its core, begin burning hydrogen in a shell, and swell into a red giant star about 100 times its present radius, engulfing Mercury, Venus, and Earth. But before the Earth is engulfed, the sun's luminosity will have driven away the atmosphere and vaporized much of Earth's crust.

But if you stop and think about it, the atoms that were once in Earth will be part of that expanding nebula around the sun, and your atoms will be part of that nebula.

The most important lesson of astronomy is that we are part of the universe and not just observers. The atoms of which Earth is made came from the insterstellar medium and are destined to return to the interstellar medium in just a few billion years. That's a long time, and it is possible that the human race will migrate to other planetary systems before then. That might save the human race, but much of our planet will return to being stardust.

[–]Cataphract1014 4 points5 points ago

Never. Its too small.