Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Could Betelgeuse Go Boom?

Posted by timothy on from the betelgeuse-betelgeuse-betelgeuse-winona dept.

An anonymous reader writes "The answer is No. In space, nobody can hear you scream. However, it might go supernova in the near future, if it hasn't already. I wanna see that, even if it would permanently disfigure Orion. Ka freaking bam!"

13 of 383 comments (clear)

  1. Wow, Great Summary by Kotoku · · Score: 5, Insightful

    That is one heck of a summary. I really like how a line and a half of text is qualifying as a story these days.

    Is it THAT slow of a news day, or could no one else possibly outdo this clown of a submitter?

    --
    AnimePapers.org: Anime Wallpapers Handled With Care
    1. Re:Wow, Great Summary by MrMista_B · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I think the editors or owners of Slashdot are either 1) Trying to increase viewership by appealing to a lowest denominator (Star go boom! Big word scary! Chemicals are mean! Vroom vroom car!) or 2) Trying to deliberately weaken the readership for purposes I can only speculate that. That second theory is bolstered by the clumsy rolling out of 'features' during the past few weeks - breaking things that once worked, adding new features that don't, and in general doing their best to make the site almost more trouble to read than it's worth.

      Does anyone else have any suggestions or inside information? It's almost a meme now that 'Slashdot is self-sabotauging', but lately it's just gotten noticibly worse.

    2. Re:Wow, Great Summary by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      That is one heck of a summary. I really like how a line and a half of text is qualifying as a story these days. Is it THAT slow of a news day, or could no one else possibly outdo this clown of a submitter?

      or you could just lighten up.

    3. Re:Wow, Great Summary by morgan_greywolf · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I have no inside information, but it's apparent to me that Slsahdot is trying to be the new 'Facebook' or 'MySpace' for geeks. Or something. I'm expecting any day now the ability to add tacky photos, weird fonts and poor layouts to your journal pages.

      Furthermore, I think that much of the original geek crowd is gone or mostly in lurk mode. So they are doing their best to attract a younger audience.

      --
      My blog
    4. Re:Wow, Great Summary by Allicorn · · Score: 4, Insightful

      "Show us your Warcraft main".

      Your case is proven.

      --
      OMG!!! Ponies!!!
    5. Re:Wow, Great Summary by stonewallred · · Score: 2, Insightful

      /. has journal pages?

  2. wow by Criliric · · Score: 2, Insightful

    For all of us so far its part of a sight that has never changed as much as the naked eye could tell, and yet to have it possibly change... it would be cool to see, but disappointing at the same time. What I'm wondering now is not how this will affect us, but how it would affect the potential life forms out in that area of the universe, if any at all... to someone or something out there is this the end of all life as they know it? the start of a new change if the ability to move civilizations has become a reality for them? or will this be just a dot in everyone's night sky that goes out, only to be recorded in history, but never having too much of an effect on anything major?

  3. Relitivity by vikstar · · Score: 3, Insightful

    However, it might go supernova in the near future, if it hasn't already

    It hasn't already, because we haven't seen it go boom yet. Even if it is half a millennium away in terms of light travel time, from our frame of reference it will only go boom when we observe it to.

    --
    The question of whether a computer can think is no more interesting than the question of whether a submarine can swim.
  4. Near future by Tubal-Cain · · Score: 1, Insightful

    [Betelgeuse] might go supernova in the near future

    Might blow in the near future? Or might have blown a few million years ago and we could find out soon?

  5. Re:New doomsday scenario? by Ihlosi · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The neutrinos from a core collapse supernova would be lethal to humans at the distance of Jupiter.

    I think if you're that close to a supernova, you've got much, much bigger problems than neutrinos.

  6. Re:Nova Post! by HTH+NE1 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Also it would take 520 years to get here anyway...

    The thing about distances measured in lightunits, causality propagates at that same speed. So if we see it happening now, for us, causally (not casually) speaking, it is happening now.

    It's just futile for us to try to do anything to stop it, because it is impossible for our reaction to have an effect on it for another 520 years (like sending a radio signal saying, "Frood, it appears that your star's just exploded! Are you all right?").

    --
    Oh, say does that Star-Spangled Banner entwine / The myrtle of Venus with Bacchus's vine?
  7. Re:ANTHROPIC principle by HTH+NE1 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    It's called the antrhopic principle.

    At least you got it right in the link and subject. That's what really matters.

    The mistakes we most regret are the ones we make while correcting others. I know; I've done it too.

    --
    Oh, say does that Star-Spangled Banner entwine / The myrtle of Venus with Bacchus's vine?
  8. Re:We should get rid of the AC -1 modifier by networkBoy · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If you get rid of AC you'll get rid of lots of noise, true.
    you'll also get rid of people who post inside info...
    -nB

    --
    whois gawk date unzip strip find touch finger mount join nice man top fsck grep eject more yes exit umount sleep dump