What would happen if betelguese exploded like a supernova?

Question

What would happen if betelguese exploded like a supernova?

Answer 1

Betelgeuse WILL explode as a supernova. Its mass is anywhere from 10 to 20 times that of the sun. What will happen? Actually nothing much because of its distance being 500 to 700 light years away from us─scientists are not quite sure of its distance. When it explodes, if not already has, we would see a bright glow in the sky nighttime and daytime for weeks.

Astronomers have been noticing a weird "behavior" of this red giant. For years they have noticed it was dimming. And while it was one the 10 brightest stars we see in the sky, it has now become one of the twenty brightest. The reason of the dimming is not clear (a variable star?) since it has been going on for the last few decades.

Betelgeuse came to be a star less than 10 million years ago; and because of its great mass it is nearing its end. So as I mentioned, it could have already exploded, and the glow will arrive to us in due time anywhere in a few days, or after a few hundred years, or it hasn't yet.

Answer 2

the greatest skylighter in our lifetimes

day and night for days or longer

Answer 3

Say it three times and see what happens

Answer 4

I assume you mean Betelgeuse.  And what do you mean, "like a supernova"?  It WILL BE a supernova eventually.  And when it goes off bang, the blast of cosmic rays may well play havoc with anything electronic, and it will be the brightest star in the sky, probably visible in daylight, until it fades away.  It'll certainly be world news as just about everybody will be able to see it.



And going by the Crab Nebula, which is what is left of a supernova that was visible in 1054, most likely it will leave a nebula behind with a neutron star in the middle.  Which might be more visible than the Crab as it's closer.



Talking of distance, Betelgeuse is over 600 light years away, (just as well - we really don't want to be too much closer to the explosion) so it may have already happened, but less than 600 years ago so we don't know about it yet.



And astronomers will love it.  There hasn't been any chance to see a supernova up close since the telescope was invented (the last reasonably close one was Tycho's Star in 1572) and nobody wants to miss the opportunity to see one with all our modern instruments.  It'll be the science story of the year and probably the decade.

Answer 5

It would be brighter than the Moon for a while then fade away, but it should become a great Nebula

At 645 Light Years distant and because of the Speed of light, it would take the same amount of time for such an event to become Apparent on Earth

 If it hasn't actually went Supernova in the Mean time

 Studies have shown that its Diameter has been very unstable and could blow any time

At such a Distance, Earth should come to no harm

But the Supernova would be so bright that initially it could be seen in Daytime

Answer 6

It's relatively close to us - about 640 light years - so, it would be very bright;  bright enough to be seen during daylight hours.  The Crab Nebula exploded in a similar manner Betelgeuse is expected to - and, it was seen for weeks during daylight, and it remained bright in the sky for a couple of years after that; so, probably Betelgeuse will behave in a similar manner.

Answer 7

Orion loses a shoulder. 

Answer 8

It would be a very bright spot in our sky, even visible during the daytime depending on what time of the year it is, and it would be a fascinating subject for astronomical observation, but that's about it as far as we're concerned.  It isn't close enough to cause us any harm.

Answer 9

I don't know and I'm not sure I'd want to be around to find out

Answer 10

Life  would be extinguished within 30 light years.  Nothing would happen to Earth, though, as Betelgeuse is 643 light years away. 

Answer 11

i would like to see it.

Answer 12

It would take us at least 600 years to know that it has exploded. 



If the big glow appears in sky, just know that it happened 600 years earlier but only now that light has visited Earth sky

Answer 13

Jesus did say there would be signs (Matthew 24:29, KJV).

Answer 14

Maybe it has already. At 600 light years , if it happened in the 15th century, we might see it soon.

Answer 15

probably nothing.

Answer 16

We'd probably hear about it sooner or later.



It's very large and luckily it's very far away.



It will surely light up Orion.



Astronomers estimate that it could explode anytime in the next few weeks -- or the next 100,000 years.



Read about it:

https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/25/world/betelgeuse-star-dimming-scn-trnd/index.html



What we're seeing when we look at it is from about 700 years ago.  So surely it could already have "changed".

Answer 17

it would knock out some of our satellites

Answer 18

If Betelgeuse Went Supernova today we would see it as possibly the Third Brightest object in the sky. But we would have to Wait 640 years before we could see it.

Answer 19

Betelgeuse blowing up would be about the same as what happens when any distant star goes supernova. Bright star in the sky for awhile, then gradually fades.





For a precedent, a star went supernova in 1054 to leave behind the crab nebula. It was visible in daylight for a few weeks (no doubt only if you had good eyesight and knew where to look), then it faded out.





Since Betelgeuse is about a third of the distance of the crab nebula, we would expect it to look somewhat brighter. Maybe it would be a few magnitudes brighter. Great interest to astronomers, but I can't see anyone else needing to get excited over it.

Answer 20

Betelgeuse WILL or may already have exploded as a supernova, but since Betelgeuse is 648 or more light years from us, we will not know it until the neutrino blast and x-rays and gamma rays reach us wile the core implodes and creates a neutron star or a black hole with an event horizon and an accretion disk. Betelgeuse has been shrinking in size for 25 years or longer. Earth may not be affected that much except for having a bright light in the sky even during the day, and the ultraviolet light stripping off the ozone layer of the atmosphere.





https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/26/world/betelgeuse-may-explode-scn-trnd/index.html.

Answer 21

Micheal Keaton would freak out,