"Since its rotational axis is not toward the Earth, Betelgeuse's supernova would not cause a gamma ray burst in the direction of Earth large enough to damage its ecosystem even from a relatively close proximity of 520 light years."
Also it would take 520 years to get here anyway...
But I suppose that makes no difference because the first we'd know about it would be the gamma burst. What we're really discussing here is "Has Betelgeuse already gone Boom?"
Yes it was. [nobelprize.org] From the linked page:
The good agreement between the observed value and the theoretically calculated value of the orbital path can be seen as an indirect proof of the existence of gravitational waves.
Nova Post! (Score:4, Funny)
Boom!
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Seriously - If it goes supernova we should be a bit worried because it's close enough to drown us with radiation.
If that happens all our petty bickering on this planet will seem insignificant.
Of course - it's not certain that the radiation will be strong enough to kill off all life, but things will probably change a lot.
Re: (Score:5, Informative)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betelgeuse [wikipedia.org]
Re: (Score:2)
Also it would take 520 years to get here anyway...
But I suppose that makes no difference because the first we'd know about it would be the gamma burst. What we're really discussing here is "Has Betelgeuse already gone Boom?"
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
because the first we'd know about it would be the gamma burst
No, no, no, the first way to tell if a star has already gone supernova is by the change in graviton waves.
Just need to finish figuring out how to detect those... maybe if we supply more power to the lateral sensor array...
Re: (Score:1)
Only if they exist (Score:2)
Nope, gravitational waves travel at the speed of light.
Assuming they exist at all...which has not yet been proven.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Yes it was. [nobelprize.org]
From the linked page:
Re:Only if they exist (Score:2)
That's awesome. They should win a Nobel Prize for that.
Oh wait....