Potential Supernova?

[Weather-history]

There have been only 6 known supernovae that have been witnessed to have occurred in our galaxy, 1006, 1054 (produced the Crab Nebula), 1181, 1572 witnessed by Tycho Brahe, and 1604 witnessed by Kepler.

In 1987, a supernova occurred in the Large Magellanic cloud.

There is a potential for a supernova to occur in our galaxy within the next thousands of years. The star is RS Ophiuchi.

The other potential supernova is Eta Carinae.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/5204676.stm

Edited July 23, 2006 by Mr_Data

[West is Best]

Very interested in this one Kevin. We're actually statistically long overdue seeing one: something of real frustration to astronomers.

Let's hope it finally bangs 'tomorrow' (as it were) rather than 10,000 years time. I'd like to see it.

[Anti-Mild]

As I understand it, wouldn't being within something like 100,000 million light years of a supernova result in a mass extinction event? NOt that it wouldn't be fascinating to watch.

There's an ex-Reverend in Australia, I forget his name, who watches for supernovae without the use of computers and fancy equipment and still manages to find a few each year. Pretty impressive !

[Kain]

A supernova would have to be alot closer than that do have any effect on earth.

The earth magnetic field and atmosphere would take the brint of the gamma and x rays.

Kain

[Weather-history]

Here's what the 1006 Supernova may have looked like by turkish astronomer Tunc Tezel. It is believed to have been the brightest supernova that was witnessed and recorded by humans, reaching a magnitude of -7.5 (Venus at max is about -4.5)

[Supercell Hunters]

Nice photo you got there, hopefully i see like that in the future.

[Gray-Wolf]

A supernova would have to be alot closer than that do have any effect on earth.

The earth magnetic field and atmosphere would take the brint of the gamma and x rays.

Kain

Hhm, our magnetosphere is a dynamic system that, some times, is extremely stressed purely doing the job it does. My poor little brain couldn't instantly do the type of 360 degree scan of it (already deployed in the form/shape the interaction with our sun causes) and add in the stresses and strains that varying degrees of 'flow' would produce on it from different directions/strengths/durations but I imagine it isn't as easy to suss what strength, direction, duration you would need to breach it as you may think.

[Rustynailer]

I may be barking up the wrong tree, if so i dont mind being corrected.

Presuming that the star concerned has already reached supernova 1000's of years ago. Apparently it looks like its going to go critical, so i presume it will have done a long time ago.(Because of the time taken for light to travel....)

If it was to do us any harm it would it have done it by now.

I say this not knowing which is faster light, G rays, X rays, blast or magnetic effect.

I guess magnetic effect the faster of the above.

So it could have happened in the stoneage. We could have felt the effects in the middle ages and see it tomorrow

Like i say, i may not have the facts right

Edited July 29, 2006 by Rustynailer

[The PIT]

It won't effect us. In fact we've got a lot of things closer to home that should be concerning you in your life time.

[Rustynailer]

It won't effect us. In fact we've got a lot of things closer to home that should be concerning you in your life time.

i agree.

i posted, relaxing and forgetting all that:mellow:

[Gray-Wolf]

I think , unless the effects of the supernova found a wormhole to travel through, that light speed is as fast as anything goes in our universe (or so Einstien would have us believe!) so when veiwing the 'light' from a supernova you are also in the stream of all the particles that were traveling at light speed ( anything with mass would travel slower and so would arrive later still). I think that E=Mc squared is the math that explains it all.

[Rustynailer]

I think , unless the effects of the supernova found a wormhole to travel through, that light speed is as fast as anything goes in our universe (or so Einstien would have us believe!) so when veiwing the 'light' from a supernova you are also in the stream of all the particles that were traveling at light speed ( anything with mass would travel slower and so would arrive later still). I think that E=Mc squared is the math that explains it all.

Thank you Gray-Wolf, i understand now

[Weather-history]

It is believed the safe distance from a supernova for the Earth is about 200 light years. Anything closer, there is a danger that the radiation would destroy our ozone layer and we then be blasted by radiation from the supernova. Life on Earth would be in danger of being wiped out.

It is believed that the energy released by a supernova is about 10 to the power of 44 Joules or

10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 Joules

[Methuselah]

I think it's also true to say, that the magnetosphere only affects charged particles - helium nuclei and electrons for example...Massless, chargeless entities such as Gamma-/X-rays or neutrinos will be unaffected by the magnetic field? Gamma-rays and X-rays would be absorbed to some extent by electromagnetic interactions within the atmosphere; neutrinos would merely pass straight through us, the Earth, everything?

Edited July 30, 2006 by Pete Tattum