Determining if Betelgeuse has gone supernova recently is impossible due to its distance of approximately 600 light-years from Earth. Any events occurring now would take 600 years to be observed from our planet, as information cannot travel faster than light. Therefore, even if Betelgeuse exploded this month, we would remain unaware for centuries. The discussion emphasizes the limitations of astronomical observation based on light travel time. Understanding these constraints is crucial for interpreting events in distant stars.
#1
paigecoal
2
0
Is there anyway we can determine if Betelgeuse has gone supernova earlier this month? (theoretically speaking)
Nope. Betelgeuse is about 600 light-years away. As no information can arrive faster than the speed of light, anything we know about Betelgeuse is 600 years in the past. If something happenned to it in the past month, we wouldn't know for another 600 years.
#3
scupydog
101
0
Hi, Welcome to PF, Whats your main area of interest?
Partial solar eclipse from Twizel, South Isl., New Zealand ...
almost missed it due to cloud, didnt see max at 0710 NZST as it went back into cloud.
20250922, 0701NZST
Canon 6D II 70-200mm @200mm,
F4, 100th sec, 1600ISO
Makeshift solar filter made out of solar eclipse sunglasses
This thread is dedicated to the beauty and awesomeness of our Universe. If you feel like it, please share video clips and photos (or nice animations) of space and objects in space in this thread. Your posts, clips and photos may by all means include scientific information; that does not make it less beautiful to me (n.b. the posts must of course comply with the PF guidelines, i.e. regarding science, only mainstream science is allowed, fringe/pseudoscience is not allowed).
n.b. I start this...
Asteroid, Data - 1.2% risk of an impact on December 22, 2032. The estimated diameter is 55 m and an impact would likely release an energy of 8 megatons of TNT equivalent, although these numbers have a large uncertainty - it could also be 1 or 100 megatons.
Currently the object has level 3 on the Torino scale, the second-highest ever (after Apophis) and only the third object to exceed level 1. Most likely it will miss, and if it hits then most likely it'll hit an ocean and be harmless, but...