What Would Happen If Betelgeuse Burst Right Now?

in the vast expanse of space among the countless Stars twinkling in the night sky celestial events of unimaginable scale and power take place events that Eclipse entire galaxies and reverberate throughout the Universe today we will delve into one such event the Stellar cataclysm known as a supernova from ancient civilizations that saw these events as Omens to Modern astronomers studying them to understand and the universe Supernova have always fascinated us recently the star Beetle Juice has dimmed dramatically leading some scientists to speculate that it may soon turn into a supernova if it does it would be the brightest Supernova observed from Earth in more than 400 years today we're going on a journey a journey to understand these stellar cataclysms and their impact on our planet and their story of our place in the cosmos we dive into the fascinating world of [Music] supernova in the great theater of the cosmos the stars are the protagonist they are born they live and they die but some Stars give such a spectacular performance in their final act that it outshines entire galaxies they are supernova the catastrophic death of stars but what is a supernova simply put a supernova is a powerful and bright Stellar explosion it occurs during the last stages of a star's life when the nuclear fusion in its core can no longer support the outer layers of the star this causes the nucleus to collapse under its own gravity leading to a violent explosion that can briefly obscure the entire galaxy the energy released by a supernova is so enormous it's equivalent to the energy that our sun would radiate over its entire 10 billion year lifetime Supernova are not just fascinating Cosmic phenomena they play a crucial role in shaping the universe they are responsible for the distribution of elements throughout space elements necessary for the formation of planets and Life as We Know It in fact it's believed that most elements heavier than iron including gold and platinum were formed by Supernova explosions so the gold in your jewelry the iron in your blood the calcium in your bones all of these were once part of a star that was cut short by a spectacular explosion long before telescopes space probes and modern astronomy ancient civilizations were already observing the Stars they noticed patterns mapped constellations and recorded celestial events among these events were the sudden appearances of new stars which we now know as Supernova one of the earliest recorded observations of a supernova was made by Chinese astronomers in 185 ad they described a guest star that appeared in the sky was visible in daylight for several weeks and disappeared after about 8 months once we now know it was a supernova and its remnants known as RCW 86 have been observed with modern telescopes another famous historical Supernova is SN 1054 Crab Nebula discovered by Chinese and Arab astronomers in 1054 this guest star was about four times brighter than Venus and was visible during the day for 23 days the remnants of of the Supernova or what we now call The Crab Nebula the ancient observations of supernova had a profound effect on the way these civilizations understood the cosmos they challenged the idea of an unchanging Universe an idea prevalent in many cultures they were also used for astrological predictions and were often seen as Omens today we continue to study Supernova not as Omens but his opportunity to learn more about the life cycle of Stars the creation of the elements and the history of our universe Although our understanding of the cosmos is grown these Stellar explosions continue to Fascinate us with their power and mystery recently the star Beetlejuice and the constellation Orion has attracted the attention of astronomers Beetle Juice a red super giant is nearing the end of its life and at the end of 2019 it began to dim dramatically leading some to speculate it may soon become a supernova however it has since returned to its normal brightness the most widely accepted explanation for this event is that the star emitted a large dust cloud which obscured some of its light and made it dimmer from our perspective on Earth when the dust cloud dispersed Beetle juices brightness returned to normal this serves to remind us the universe is not a static place but a place where Stars Are Born Live and Die in spectacular ways every star in the night sky has a story to tell a story that begins long before we see its light the life cycle of a star is a journey of transformation from a mere cloud of gas and dust to a beacon of light that can outshine a Galaxy the Journey Begins in nebula a huge cloud of gas and dust inside these Cosmic nurseries pockets of gas and dust begin to collapse under their own gravity when they collapse they heat up and form a protostar over millions of years the protestar continues to gather Mass from the surrounding nebula as it grows the pressure and temperatures in its core increase when the core temperature reaches about 27 million de F nuclear fusion Begins the protostar is now a main sequence star just like our sun a star can remain on the main sequence burning hydrogen in its core for billions of years but eventually the hydrogen fuel runs out what happens next depends on the star's mass in Stars the size of our sun the core shrinks and heats up causing the outer layer to expand the star becomes a red giant eventually the core collapses and the outer layers are ejected forming a planetary nebula this leaves a white dwarf but as we travel through space we find that not all stars meet their end in the same way star can also goes Supernova its type will largely be determined by the mass composition of the original Star while also having its own unique characteristics for example spectral analysis of type one Supernova lack hydrogen lines the most famous subtype type I a occurs in a binary Stellar system a white dwarf the dense remnant of a star similar to our sun sucks matter from its companion star once the white dwarf reaches a critical mass it undergos a thermonuclear explosion resulting in a supernova on the other hand type IB and IC Supernova are thought to result from the collapse of the cores of massive stars that have lost their outer layers of hydrogen and for type I helium now let's focus on one of the most common types of super NOA we observe type two these super NOA originate from the massive stars much larger than our own Sun stars with at least eight times the mass of the Sun can undergo this dramatic transformation throughout their lives these massive stars are in a constant battle between gravity pulling Inward and the force of fusion pushing outward when a star exhaust its nuclear fuel gravity wins the battle the core of the star collapses under its enormous gravity this collapse of the nucleus occurs incredibly quickly in just a fraction of a second and leads to a powerful explosion a supernova the outer layers of the star explode in a spectacular spectacle outshining the entire galaxy for a short time what's left of the Star May form a dense neutron star or if it was massive enough a black hole but the legacy of the star lives on the explosion disperses the elements form during the life of the star into space seeding the cosmos with building blocks for new stars planets and even life when a star goes Supernova it's not just a spectacle of light it's one of the most energetic events in the universe the amount of energy released in a supernova explosion is so enormous it's equivalent to the energy the sun would radiate over its entire 10 billion year lifetime but where does all this energy go most of it is carried away by neutrinos these tiny nearly massless particles are produced in huge quantity during a supernova they travel at nearly the speed of light taking about 99% of the explosions energy with them the rest of the energy is released as light and other forms of electromagnetic itic radiation this includes gamma rays the most energetic form of light and x-rays which are less energetic but still much more powerful than the light we see the visible light from a supernova is so bright that it can briefly obscure the entire galaxy this light can be seen at Great distances making Supernova important Cosmic beacons for astronomers although Supernova are interesting to observe they can also pose a potential Danger The Enormous energy and radiation released in a supernova explosion can have significant consequences especially if the Supernova is close enough to Earth one of the main causes of concern is the impact on our planet's ozone layer the ozone layer acts like the Earth's sunscreen protecting life from the sun's harmful ultraviolent radiation but an intense gamma ray burst from a nearby Supernova could destroy the ozone layer increasing the amount of UV radiation that reaches the Earth's surface this increased UV radiation can have harmful effects on the Earth's biosphere it can lead to higher rates of skin cancer in humans and other animals and disrupt photosynthesis in Plants potentially affecting the entire ecosystem in addition to gamma rays the Supernova also emits a stream of high energy cosmic rays these particles can further damage the ozone layer as well as create streams of secondary particles in the Earth's atmosphere that would increase the radiation dose in our study of the dangers posed by Supernova there's another interesting aspect to consider gravitational waves these are ripples in the fabric of SpaceTime caused by some of the most violent and energetic processes in the universe Albert Einstein predicted the existence of GRA gravitational waves in 1916 in his general theory of relativity Einstein's mathematics showed that the massive accelerating objects like a neutron star or a black hole orbiting each other would collapse SpaceTime in such a way that distorted space waves would emanate from the source and Supernova with their incredible mass and explosive energy are the first candidates to create such waves when a massive star collapses and explodes the asymmetry of the explosion can potentially create gravitational waves Rippling through space these waves will be incredibly Weak by the time they reach us and will pose no danger to Earth but they give us a new way to study the universe scientists have already begun to detect these waves with incredibly sensitive instruments ushering in a new era of gravitational wave astronomy fortunately the probability of a supernova exploding close enough to affect Earth is quite small but understanding these potential dangers is crucial it's a reminder of our connection to the cosmos and how events occurring light years away can have consequences right here on our home planet as we've seen Supernova explosions are powerful events that can have far-reaching consequences but did you ever guess that Supernova may have played a role in shaping Earth's history scientists have found evidence of past Supernova in the form of iron 60 a radioactive isotope in ancient geological layers and cores of Antarctic Ice iron 60 is not naturally produced on Earth but created by Supernova suggesting that our planet was dotted with the remnants of these Stellar explosions one notable event is the Pline Supernova which erupted about 2.7 million years ago some scientists speculate that this Supernova may have affected Earth climate during the Ice Age perhaps even contributing to a period of cooling there's also a theory that Supernova may be associated with mass extinctions the idea is that cosmic rays from the nearest Supernova could damage the ozone layer resulting in increased ultraviolet radiation on the Earth's surface and harming life especially shallow Oceanic [Music] organisms although these theories are still being studied and debated they highlight the potential impact of distant Cosmic events on our home planet it's a reminder that we're part of a dynamic and interconnected universe as we look out into space we're looking not only to the past but also the Future Stars will continue to be born live and die and some of them will end their lives as Supernova but what does the future hold for Supernova in our Milky Way galaxy astronomers estimate that a supernova explosion in the Milky Way occurs on average about once every 50 years however most of these Supernova are not visible from Earth because dust and gas block the direct view the last Supernova visible to the naked eye in our galaxy was over 400 years ago observed by the famous astronomer Johannes Kepler but rest assured astronomers are keep keeping a close eye on potential Supernova candidates these include such stars as Beetlejuice and the constellation Orion and Eda keil in the constellation Keel both massive stars have unusual behavior leading astronomers to speculate that they could become Supernova in the relatively near future on an astronomical time scale a recent study has shed new light on the mysterious behavior of that celestial Giant Beetle Juice this star known for its semi-regular variations has been the subject of intense scientific scrutiny in the context of a star such as Beetle juu these changes are visible in brightness or intensity of light the star does not follow a strict cycle of increasing and decreasing brightness but rather oscillates in a predictable but not entirely regular manner researchers have identified four different periods in the variations of Beetle Juice two 200 420 230 and 185 days they suggest these periods correspond to the pulsation patterns of the star in particular the radial principle mode and the first second and third overtones this pulsation analysis which takes into account the complex interaction between pulsation and convection suggests that Beetle Juice is in the late stage of core carbon combustion the study also looks at the previously mentioned event known as the great dimming which caused Beetle Juice's brightness to decrease significantly from December 2019 to February 2020 researchers speculate that during this period the effective temperature of Beetle Juice dropped by about 100K which may have resulted in significant mass ejection of the star this event triggered a flurry of observations and Analysis aimed at deciphering the secrets of this distant star the researchers findings lead to an exciting conclusion Beetlejuice could be the next star in the galaxy to go supernova given the current stage of late burning carbon in the core its high luminosity and complex variations Beetle Juice is a prime candidate for participation in this exciting Cosmic event the study also notes that the star's High rotation rate as a red super giant has sparked discussions about its Evolution including the possibility of past mergers with another star as a source of angular momentum however it is important to note that predicting exactly when a star will go supernova is extremely difficult because it depends on many factors that are not fully understood even if a star has indications that it might go supernova it could be thousands or even millions of years before it actually goes Supernova but rest assured when it does it will be a grand spectacle the study of supernova is crucial to our understanding of the universe these Stellar cataclysms are not only end points but also Beginnings saturating the cosmos with the elements necessary for new stars planets and possibly Life as we travel through the cosmos we're constantly reminded of the grandure and mystery of the universe Supernova are a testament to the life cycle of stars the creation of elements and the interconnectedness of the cosmos we have studied their types the dangers they pose their impact on our's history and what the future may hold these celestial events as destructive as they are are also creators they seed the universe with the elements necessary for new stars planets and possibly life studying Supernova is not only about understanding the spectacular events but also about understanding our place in the universe they remind us we are made of star stuff that we are part of this vast Dynamic and constantly evolving Cosmos

Channel: Space Matters

Views: 319,957

Keywords: Betelgeuse, supernova, red supergiant, Orion constellation, stellar life cycles, astronomy, cosmic phenomena, space exploration, star dimming events, celestial events, astrophysics, luminosity, star behavior, cosmic mystery, night sky, observational astronomy, stellar evolution, cosmic events, universe wonders, astronomical research, space and time, cosmic observations

Id: UiH8RVX4oNQ

Length: 19min 54sec (1194 seconds)

Published: Sun Feb 04 2024