A Visible Twin Sun? It’s Possible
Remember this scene from Star Wars - the binary star system that made two stars visible from the planet? According to Dr. Brad Carter, Senior Lecturer of Physics at the University of Southern Queensland, there could be a similar case for Earth quite soon! Okay okay, the chances of this actually happening are very, very slim - but the fun of it is that it’s possible!
One of the night sky’s brightest stars, Betelgeuse, is losing mass! Although not on a Jenny Craig diet, this is a clear sign to Astrophysicists that the star is collapsing - meaning that it could undergo a supernova at any time! If it were to happen, the explosion would be just as bright as the daytime sun, and the view would last for weeks! Additionally, the explosion would cause a harmless shower of neutrinos (those apparently faster than light ones) onto the planet. Carter said “They will flood through the Earth and bizarrely enough, even though the supernova we see visually will light up the night sky, 99 per cent of the energy in the supernova is released in these particles that will come through our bodies and through the Earth with absolutely no harm whatsoever.”
U.S. astronomer Phil Plait said that “Betelgeuse might go up tonight, or it might not be for 100,000 years. We’re just not sure.” But the fact is, it could happen at anytime, and it would be really, really awesome. Keep watching.
Sure, neutrinos are harmless - that’s what they said about the meteor shower, and the next day everyone was blind and flowers were eating people …
(This has been an obscure movie reference from a more obscure Wægen.)
