What will a supernova flash from Earth look like?

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What will a supernova flash from Earth look like?
What will a supernova flash from Earth look like?
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Betelgeuse, beloved by many, may become a supernova. This opinion was previously expressed by many researchers. The fact is that the brightness of Betelgeuse, a red supergiant, began to change in 2019. This means that sooner or later it will become a supernova - a flash that will seem to us a real heavenly show. Not surprisingly, the idea of a supernova in Earth's sky has caught the attention of the public. And thanks to new computer models, researchers have a better idea of what people will see when Betelgeuse dies. This will happen somewhere in the next 100,000 years.

A heavenly show of unprecedented proportions

First of all, the good news - life on Earth will not be affected by the death of Betelgeuse, since it is located about 724 light years from our planet. But this does not mean that this event will go unnoticed. The researchers found that when Betelgeuse explodes, it will shine as brightly as a crescent moon - nine times fainter than the full moon - for more than three months. Moreover, the supernova will be visible even during the day, and at night it can be seen with the naked eye. All the brightness from the explosion of Betelgeuse will be concentrated in one point, like a powerful celestial beacon.

According to the Discover edition, astronomers used the MESA + STELLA program to simulate this unique celestial show. They also added observational data collected during the 1987A supernova explosion in the Large Magellanic Cloud. The researchers also report that by the time the remnants of the supernova explosion have completely disappeared, the constellation Orion will have lost its "left shoulder."

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The image shows Betelgeuse before and after dimming. Observations made with the sphere instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope in January 2019 and December 2019 show how the star has faded and how its apparent shape has changed.

Nevertheless, if Betelgeuse explodes in the very near future, then we should not expect anything good. First of all, we are talking about animals that use the moon for navigation and are already confused by artificial lighting. The addition of a second object as bright as the moon can be devastating for them. However, difficult times will come for us, as there will be no “dark time of day” for some time. Recent research shows that the brightness of Betelgeuse can vary for a number of reasons. Some astronomers do not exclude that other reasons may be the reason for the dimming of the Red Supergiant. Towards the end of life, the nuclear fuel in the cores of stars runs out and red supergiants begin to swell, forming shells of gas and dust. And as this shell gets larger, the brightness of the star increases.

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Here is a close-up view of the constellation Orion (left) and one of the clearest images of Betelgeuse ever obtained (far right).

Whatever the root cause, Betelgeuse's strange behavior will ultimately provide researchers with a better understanding of the deaths of these extraordinary stars. Today, Betelgeuse provides astronomers with an excellent opportunity to study the last stages of the evolution of red supergiants, and this is worth a lot.

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