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Rumor of Betelgeuse's Death Greatly Exaggerated

Posted by kdawson on from the holding-out-for-twenty-twelve dept.

The Bad Astronomer writes "A rumor is spreading on the Net like wildfire that the red supergiant star Betelgeuse is about to explode in a supernova. This rumor is almost certainly not true. First, it's posted on a doomsday forum. Second, it's three times removed from the source, and is anonymous at each step. Third, the evidence is shaky at best. Plus, even if true, the supernova is too far away to hurt us. But other than that ..."

1 of 356 comments (clear)

  1. Trolling is a art by Wolfling1 · · Score: 0, Troll

    This poster shows some real trolling talent.

    The original doomsday post was quit original. We haven't seen an astronomical doomsday meme for a year or so.

    But, if you're going to force a meme like this, what better way than to debunk it on Slashdot immediately.