In reply to Terry Blanton's message of Thu, 7 Jan 2010 11:22:31 -0500: Hi, [snip] >http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/6940111/Earth-to-be-wiped-out-by-supernova-explosion.html > >Earth 'to be wiped out' by supernova explosion >The Earth could soon be wiped out by the explosion of a star more than >3,000 light years away, according to American scientists.
For the power flux at the Earth to equal that of the Sun, the entire supernova explosion would have to occur in 6 seconds. AFAIK they usually take minutes at least, so I wouldn't count on seeing much more than a bright star. > >By Ben Leach >Published: 9:39AM GMT 06 Jan 2010 > >The star, called T Pyxidis, is set to self-destruct in an explosion >called a supernova with the force of 20 billion billion billion >megatons of TNT. >Although the star is thought to be around 3,260 light-years away a >fairly short distance in galactic terms the blast from the >thermonuclear explosion could strip away the Earth's ozone layer, the >scientists said. > >Astronomers from Villanova University, Philadelphia, in the US, said >the International Ultraviolet Explorer satellite has shown them that T >Pyxidis is really two stars, one called a white dwarf that is sucking >in gas and steadily growing. When it reaches a critical mass it will >blow itself to pieces. > >It will become as bright as all the other stars in the galaxy put >together, they said. The Hubble space telescope has photographed the >star preparing for its big bang with a series of smaller blasts or >"burps", called novas. > >These explosions came regularly about every 20 years from 1890 but >stopped after 1967. > >So the next blast is nearly 20 years overdue, said scientists Edward M >Sion, Patrick Godon and Timothy McClain at the American Astronomical >Society in Washington. >Robin Scagell, vice-president of the UK's Society for Popular >Astronomy, said: "The star may certainly became a supernova soon but >soon could still be a long way off so don't have nightmares." > ><end?> Regards, Robin van Spaandonk http://rvanspaa.freehostia.com/Project.html
