Two Suns? Twin Stars Could Be Visible From Earth By 2012

Post by **Linnea** » 01-20-2011 10:34 PM

...from Huffington Post - 1/20/11

Earth could be getting a second sun, at least temporarily.

Dr. Brad Carter, Senior Lecturer of Physics at the University of Southern Queensland, outlined the scenario to news.com.au. Betelgeuse, one of the night sky's brightest stars, is losing mass, indicating it is collapsing. It could run out of fuel and go super-nova at any time.

When that happens, for at least a few weeks, we'd see a second sun, Carter says. There may also be no night during that timeframe.

The Star Wars-esque scenario could happen by 2012, Carter says... or it could take longer. The explosion could also cause a neutron star or result in the formation of a black hole 1300 light years from Earth, reports news.com.au.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/2 ... 11864.html

Joolz · Post by **Joolz** » 01-20-2011 11:17 PM

That would be really freaky!

Saharaka · Post by **Saharaka** » 01-22-2011 09:19 PM

Yikes!

Raggedyann · Post by **Raggedyann** » 01-23-2011 12:43 AM

Wonder if this means that we will have more heat? And a black hole doesn't thrill me to the marrow either. Mind you, if we get sucked in, it will all be over real quick.