Betelgeuse Star - Supernova Candidate?

[SlammedZero]

I want to know what space is expanding into, like....what is on the other side. I don’t want to hear nothing because nothing is still something!

That's what I always wondered as a kid. "What's outside our universe, if our universe isn't infinite?"

Right? I always boggle my mind with that question as well. I mean, even if you went out and found a giant brick wall, well, there has to be something on the other side of that? Even if it is nothing, it is something. It is dark? Is it light?

Or sometimes I've thought about the universe as a doughnut. If you left Earth and kept going eventually you'd end up back at Earth. Like in a an old video game. If your character drifted off the edge of the screen, they would reappear on the opposite side. I'm not saying I necessarily believe in that, but, anything out there is possible.

 

[SlammedZero]

Nice video. You may be interested in this website that was amazing to go through.

https://neal.fun/size-of-space/

Credit to this find goes to @Reality

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

Nice video. You may be interested in this website that was amazing to go through.

https://neal.fun/size-of-space/

Credit to this find goes to @Reality

The size of some of these super giant stars are just not fathomable.

 

[Runwildboys]

The size of some of these super giant stars are just not fathomable.

I try to imagine that much hydrogen and helium, and it's just insane.

 

[YosemiteSam]

I try to imagine that much hydrogen and helium, and it's just insane.

Just imagine. That's enough helium to keep Morgan undignified for the rest of his life!

 

[Hardline]

 

[nobody]

https://www.livescience.com/betelgeuse-may-have-been-two-stars.html

 

[Oz-of-Cowboy-Country]

One of the brightest stars in the sky, Betelgeuse, has started to dim in the night sky. (It is located in the armpit of the constellation Orion). While some scientists think the star is dimming because of "strange, stellar physics", others believe it is ready to become a supernova. The star is 642.5 light-years from Earth. That would make it become the closest supernova observed and recorded by humans. That also means that if you looked up and just happened to see the star explode tonight, the supernova you would be seeing really took place over 600 years ago and you'd only be seeing it now.

Could be worth looking up in the night sky just in case.

When you look at a star you are not looking back in time. You are seeing that light source in real time. The light source is so big that your 20/20 vision can pick up on it. We cannot see light as it travels. For example, if you walk outside in the daytime and put your hand one foot from your face for one second. There will be over 10,000 photons of light passing between your hand and your face, but you'll still be able to see your hand. Light in flight is too small and moves too quick to be seen. It is smaller than a bullet and moves faster than a bullet. And just like you've never saw a bullet in flight you'll never see light in flight. So we see the light sources and the effect that light source has on visable objects around us. When you look at a star you are seeing the light source not the light in flight. So if this star goes supernova you'll be seeing it in real time.

 

[SlammedZero]

When you look at a star you are not looking back in time. You are seeing that light source in real time. The light source is so big that your 20/20 vision can pick up on it. We cannot see light as it travels. For example, if you walk outside in the daytime and put your hand one foot from your face for one second. There will be over 10,000 photons of light passing between your hand and your face, but you'll still be able to see your hand. Light in flight is too small and moves too quick to be seen. It is smaller than a bullet and moves faster than a bullet. And just like you've never saw a bullet in flight you'll never see light in flight. So we see the light sources and the effect that light source has on visable objects around us. When you look at a star you are seeing the light source not the light in flight. So if this star goes supernova you'll be seeing it in real time.

I don't think light works the way you think it works. The universe is gigantic and even light still has to traverse it's great distances. For example, it takes light about 8 minutes to travel from the Sun to Earth. The light you are seeing outside is 8 minutes old. If you looked at the sun (pretending you could peer into it without damaging your eyes), the photons emitted from the surface of the sun took about 8 minutes to reach your eyes. For fun, if the Sun just went out like a lamp (just using this as a simple scenario), it would take you about 8 minutes to know.

 

[Runwildboys]

I don't think light works the way you think it works. The universe is gigantic and even light still has to traverse it's great distances. For example, it takes light about 8 minutes to travel from the Sun to Earth. The light you are seeing outside is 8 minutes old. If you looked at the sun (pretending you could peer into it without damaging your eyes), the photons emitted from the surface of the sun took about 8 minutes to reach your eyes. For fun, if the Sun just went out like a lamp (just using this as a simple scenario), it would take you about 8 minutes to know.

That's once the photons escape the sun. It can take anywhere from 100,000 years to 50 million years to escape, then a little more than 8 minutes to reach Earth.

 

[SlammedZero]

That's once the photons escape the sun. It can take anywhere from 100,000 years to 50 million years to escape, then a little more than 8 minutes to reach Earth.

Great additional point!

 

[nobody]

I don't think light works the way you think it works. The universe is gigantic and even light still has to traverse it's great distances. For example, it takes light about 8 minutes to travel from the Sun to Earth. The light you are seeing outside is 8 minutes old. If you looked at the sun (pretending you could peer into it without damaging your eyes), the photons emitted from the surface of the sun took about 8 minutes to reach your eyes. For fun, if the Sun just went out like a lamp (just using this as a simple scenario), it would take you about 8 minutes to know.

From OUR perspective, it takes 8 minutes for light from the Sun to reach us. From the perspective of light, it's instant. There is no time or space experienced. It's just there. Relativity in action.

However, he's also wrong in our perception of light in real time as when a photon hits our eye, the signal takes time to travel to our brain, which reconstructs the images and cheats a little so that it looks like we are perceiving things in real time when they're actually a little delay....so EVERYTHING we see is in the past and we perceive nothing in true real time.

 

[Oz-of-Cowboy-Country]

I don't think light works the way you think it works. The universe is gigantic and even light still has to traverse it's great distances. For example, it takes light about 8 minutes to travel from the Sun to Earth. The light you are seeing outside is 8 minutes old. If you looked at the sun (pretending you could peer into it without damaging your eyes), the photons emitted from the surface of the sun took about 8 minutes to reach your eyes. For fun, if the Sun just went out like a lamp (just using this as a simple scenario), it would take you about 8 minutes to know.

I understand there is a time lapse between the light source and light effects. We see the moon being illuminated but we don't see the light headed toward the moon. We see the light source and the effects of that light source 8 minutes later but we don't see the light in flight. If you could see light in flight you would be blind because that's all you'll ever see. So if you could see the light passing in front of your hand then you wouldn't be able to see your hand. Light in flight is invisible to the naked eye.



Planet Earth is currently recieving light from well over 40 different stars. Yet we still have a nighttime. So there is also the question of how far does light travel before is dies out? Because some believe with that much light hitting the Earth we should not have a nightfall. So if the light from our nearest star, which is just 4.3 light years away, does out before hitting us. Then the light from a star that is 600 light years away definitely has no chance. So us having a nighttime has one or two explanations: Light does out from age and/or light turns black from age. Some scientists are trying to find the half-life of light to explain our nightfall, but most have just given up on an explanation. But I agree with them, we should not have a nighttime while receiving the light from over 40 different stars. So something is happening to all of that light and no one can explain it as of yet. So we see those 40 plus light sources but we don't see their effects. We only get the effects from one light source, our sun.


NOW THIS IS CRAZY.
When the Earth turns is back to the sun (nighttime) we don't see light streaking around the edges of our planet headed into out of space. Even though our sun is multiplie times bigger than our planet. We know darn well that light has not died out, but has it turned black already? When you think about that, it's just crazy. Space is full of light bulbs (stars) but it's dark as hell. It's almost as if light doesn't exist until it strikes something. Hence, you don't see light as it travels. You see the light source (sun) and the effects light has on visible objects (moon) but you don't see light streaking around the edges of our planet headed towards the moon. You cannot see light in flight, but you can see the light source and its illuminating effects.

So if that star goes supernova you'll be seeing what happened to that light source in real time.

 

[Runwildboys]

I understand there is a time lapse between the light source and light effects. We see the moon being illuminated but we don't see the light headed toward the moon. We see the light source and the effects of that light source 8 minutes later but we don't see the light in flight. If you could see light in flight you would be blind because that's all you'll ever see. So if you could see the light passing in front of your hand then you wouldn't be able to see your hand. Light in flight is invisible to the naked eye.



Planet Earth is currently recieving light from well over 40 different stars. Yet we still have a nighttime. So there is also the question of how far does light travel before is dies out? Because some believe with that much light hitting the Earth we should not have a nightfall. So if the light from our nearest star, which is just 4.3 light years away, does out before hitting us. Then the light from a star that is 600 light years away definitely has no chance. So us having a nighttime has one or two explanations: Light does out from age and/or light turns black from age. Some scientists are trying to find the half-life of light to explain our nightfall, but most have just given up on an explanation. But I agree with them, we should not have a nighttime while receiving the light from over 40 different stars. So something is happening to all of that light and no one can explain it as of yet. So we see those 40 plus light sources but we don't see their effects. We only get the effects from one light source, our sun.


NOW THIS IS CRAZY.
When the Earth turns is back to the sun (nighttime) we don't see light streaking around the edges of our planet headed into out of space. Even though our sun is multiplie times bigger than our planet. We know darn well that light has not died out, but has it turned black already? When you think about that, it's just crazy. Space is full of light bulbs (stars) but it's dark as hell. It's almost as if light doesn't exist until it strikes something. Hence, you don't see light as it travels. You see the light source (sun) and the effects light has on visible objects (moon) but you don't see light streaking around the edges of our planet headed towards the moon. You cannot see light in flight, but you can see the light source and its illuminating effects.

So if that star goes supernova you'll be seeing what happened to that light source in real time.

We're receiving light from every star you see and more.

 

[nobody]

I understand there is a time lapse between the light source and light effects. We see the moon being illuminated but we don't see the light headed toward the moon. We see the light source and the effects of that light source 8 minutes later but we don't see the light in flight. If you could see light in flight you would be blind because that's all you'll ever see. So if you could see the light passing in front of your hand then you wouldn't be able to see your hand. Light in flight is invisible to the naked eye.



Planet Earth is currently recieving light from well over 40 different stars. Yet we still have a nighttime. So there is also the question of how far does light travel before is dies out? Because some believe with that much light hitting the Earth we should not have a nightfall. So if the light from our nearest star, which is just 4.3 light years away, does out before hitting us. Then the light from a star that is 600 light years away definitely has no chance. So us having a nighttime has one or two explanations: Light does out from age and/or light turns black from age. Some scientists are trying to find the half-life of light to explain our nightfall, but most have just given up on an explanation. But I agree with them, we should not have a nighttime while receiving the light from over 40 different stars. So something is happening to all of that light and no one can explain it as of yet. So we see those 40 plus light sources but we don't see their effects. We only get the effects from one light source, our sun.


NOW THIS IS CRAZY.
When the Earth turns is back to the sun (nighttime) we don't see light streaking around the edges of our planet headed into out of space. Even though our sun is multiplie times bigger than our planet. We know darn well that light has not died out, but has it turned black already? When you think about that, it's just crazy. Space is full of light bulbs (stars) but it's dark as hell. It's almost as if light doesn't exist until it strikes something. Hence, you don't see light as it travels. You see the light source (sun) and the effects light has on visible objects (moon) but you don't see light streaking around the edges of our planet headed towards the moon. You cannot see light in flight, but you can see the light source and its illuminating effects.

So if that star goes supernova you'll be seeing what happened to that light source in real time.

Only from the light's point of view. But because of the way Relativity works, from OUR perspective the light we see from Betelgeuse is from 642.5 year ago. It's not real time from our perspective. If we saw it explode tonight, the explosion happened 642.5 years ago. So if the explosion happened 400 years ago, we wouldn't know it for another 242.5 years.

On your other point, because of the distances involved, the light spreads out. A star radiates it's light in a sphere, and it's not an infinite amount of light. So the further away you are from it, the less light from that star is aimed directly at you. Because we're dealing with distances so vast, very little of that star's light is pointed directly at you. Unless the photons not pointed directly at you get somehow reflected to point at you, you'll just notice a pinpoint of light in the sky from any given star.

 

[Oz-of-Cowboy-Country]

Only from the light's point of view. But because of the way Relativity works, from OUR perspective the light we see from Betelgeuse is from 642.5 year ago. It's not real time from our perspective. If we saw it explode tonight, the explosion happened 642.5 years ago. So if the explosion happened 400 years ago, we wouldn't know it for another 242.5 years.

On your other point, because of the distances involved, the light spreads out. A star radiates it's light in a sphere, and it's not an infinite amount of light. So the further away you are from it, the less light from that star is aimed directly at you. Because we're dealing with distances so vast, very little of that star's light is pointed directly at you. Unless the photons not pointed directly at you get somehow reflected to point at you, you'll just notice a pinpoint of light in the sky from any given star.

Okay. Now it would be extremely nice of you if you could explain to me why I can see my hand in front of my face with all of the light passing in between my hand and my face.


When astronomers look at this star through a telescope are they seeing it in real time?

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

When you look at a star you are not looking back in time. You are seeing that light source in real time. The light source is so big that your 20/20 vision can pick up on it. We cannot see light as it travels. For example, if you walk outside in the daytime and put your hand one foot from your face for one second. There will be over 10,000 photons of light passing between your hand and your face, but you'll still be able to see your hand. Light in flight is too small and moves too quick to be seen. It is smaller than a bullet and moves faster than a bullet. And just like you've never saw a bullet in flight you'll never see light in flight. So we see the light sources and the effect that light source has on visable objects around us. When you look at a star you are seeing the light source not the light in flight. So if this star goes supernova you'll be seeing it in real time.

Dude, seriously. You are comically misinformed.

 

[Oz-of-Cowboy-Country]

Dude, seriously. You are comically misinformed.

No I'm not. I just always take the opposing side just to keep things interesting. I'm good at arguing the most ridiculous points but making them seem logical. That keeps a smile on my face.

I once debated with a guy about which part of our planet is the most magnetic. If the north pole is the most magnetic part of our planet then why do all the rivers run south? I'm good at being pleasantly ignorant. Just for the fun of it.

 

[YosemiteSam]

No I'm not. I just always take the opposing side just to keep things interesting. I'm good at arguing the most ridiculous points but making them seem logical. That keeps a smile on my face.

I once debated with a guy about which part of our planet is the most magnetic. If the north pole is the most magnetic part of our planet then why do all the rivers run south? I'm good at being pleasantly ignorant. Just for the fun of it.

Use that contrarianism with Jerry. Maybe you can convince him to change.

 

[dreghorn2]

No I'm not. I just always take the opposing side just to keep things interesting. I'm good at arguing the most ridiculous points but making them seem logical. That keeps a smile on my face.

I once debated with a guy about which part of our planet is the most magnetic. If the north pole is the most magnetic part of our planet then why do all the rivers run south? I'm good at being pleasantly ignorant. Just for the fun of it.

All rivers run south?

Who knew.