Fox News Thursday, June 11, 2009
The nearby, well-known and very bright star may soon explode in a supernova, according to data released by U.C. Berkeley researchers Tuesday.
The red giant Betelgeuse, once so large it would reach out to Jupiter's orbit if placed in our own solar system, has shrunk by 15 percent over the past decade in a half, although it's just as bright as it's ever been.
"To see this change is very striking," said retired Berkeley physics professor Charles Townes, who won the 1964 Nobel Prize for inventing the laser. "We will be watching it carefully over the next few years to see if it will keep contracting or will go back up in size."
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The red giant ... estimates are, that if it does go supernova, it would be as brightas the full moon ... from 460 light years away. Techically it would already have happened. But of course, 460 years ago, kind of thing. What cannot be ignored is the massive amount of various radiation that is heading our way too.
Another very good soutrce of info:
scienceray.com
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