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Date: 22 Jun 2007 21:49:36
From: Sam Wormley
Subject: Come on Eta Carinae -- Explode Already!
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Come on Eta Carinae -- Explode Already!
http://www.universetoday.com/2007/06/21/come-on-eta-carinae-explode-already/
June 21st, 2007
The death watch is on for Eta Carinae, a relatively nearby massive
star that's set to explode as a supernova. The Chandra X-Ray
Observatory delivered this beautiful photograph of the star and its
surrounding nebula; layers of material that it's already shed in its
death throes.
When it does explode, Eta Carinae is going to be spectacular. It's
thought to have between 100 and 150 times the mass of our own Sun.
Not only that, it's a mere 7,500 light years away. Its brilliant
display of fireworks will rival the light of the full Moon, and
should be easy to see in the middle of the day; you could read a book
by it at night.
So when's it going to blow? Well, astronomers disagree on this point.
The majority think that Eta Carinae has one final stage to go
through, called a Wolf-Rayet star. Others think it's already passed
this stage, and it's ready to go. It could explode tomorrow, or it
could be 100,000 years away. Still, that's a blink of the eye
cosmically speaking.
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Date: 26 Jun 2007 16:30:17
From: Jim Klein
Subject: Re: Come on Eta Carinae -- Explode Already!
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Expecting Eta Carinae to explode in your life time shows as much
hubris as the jerks who keep predicting the "end times" and the
"rapture".
We are like ants compared to the time table of the universe, galaxies,
stars and even some trees.
Jim Klein
James E. Klein
jameseklein@earthlink.net
Engineering Calculations
http://www.ecalculations.com
ecalculations@ecalculations.com
Engineering Calculations is the home of
the KDP-2 Optical Design Program
for Windows.
1-818-507-5706 (Voice and Fax)
1-818-823-4121
"KDP2, not quite easy enough for a Caveman to use" :-)
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Date: 27 Jun 2007 01:15:53
From: Matthew Ota
Subject: Re: Come on Eta Carinae -- Explode Already!
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On Jun 26, 5:36 pm, mov...@webtv.net (Marty) wrote:
> Jim was saying
>
> >Expecting Eta Carinae to explode in your
> > life time shows as much hubris as the
> > jerks who keep predicting the "end
> > times" and the "rapture".
>
> Well, I've developed a refined version of the anthropic principle, in
> which the entire universe exists for ME.
> Marty
Wow, and I thought I was introverted and self-centered :-)
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Date: 26 Jun 2007 19:36:51
From: Marty
Subject: Re: Come on Eta Carinae -- Explode Already!
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Jim was saying
>Expecting Eta Carinae to explode in your
> life time shows as much hubris as the
> jerks who keep predicting the "end
> times" and the "rapture".
Well, I've developed a refined version of the anthropic principle, in
which the entire universe exists for ME.
Marty
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Date: 26 Jun 2007 21:15:48
From: Shawn
Subject: Re: Come on Eta Carinae -- Explode Already!
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Marty wrote:
> Jim was saying
>> Expecting Eta Carinae to explode in your
>> life time shows as much hubris as the
>> jerks who keep predicting the "end
>> times" and the "rapture".
>
> Well, I've developed a refined version of the anthropic principle, in
> which the entire universe exists for ME.
> Marty
>
Yup, secret's out, we all exist to give form and substance to the
Martyverse. That doesn't mean you get my dob!
Shawn
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Date: 26 Jun 2007 16:42:14
From: Eugene Griessel
Subject: Re: Come on Eta Carinae -- Explode Already!
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Jim Klein <jameseklein@earthlink.net > wrote:
>Expecting Eta Carinae to explode in your life time shows as much
>hubris as the jerks who keep predicting the "end times" and the
>"rapture".
>
>We are like ants compared to the time table of the universe, galaxies,
>stars and even some trees.
Expecting it - yes, but one can always hope!
Eugene L Griessel
I either want less corruption, or more chance to participate in it.
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Date: 26 Jun 2007 07:37:25
From: benk
Subject: Re: Come on Eta Carinae -- Explode Already!
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On Jun 26, 3:11 am, b...@isi.edu (Brian Tung) wrote:
> Ben Kolstad wrote:
> > I'll say. Just as I was noticing how nice the moon was last night, the
> > clouds rolled in. We got trace amounts of rain, but no visibility
> > during my prime viewing hours.
> > Oh, well. California, here I come (just for a couple of days...)!
>
> When are you coming out here?
>
> --
> Brian Tung <b...@isi.edu>
> The Astronomy Corner athttp://astro.isi.edu/
> Unofficial C5+ Home Page athttp://astro.isi.edu/c5plus/
> The PleiadAtlas Home Page athttp://astro.isi.edu/pleiadatlas/
> My Own Personal FAQ (SAA) athttp://astro.isi.edu/reference/faq.html
Hi, Brian.
Going to SFO tomorrow. We'll be in the Bay Area until Friday, then
Atascadero until Tuesday, then back to FL. We're thinking of taking a
day trip from Ventura to Santa Cruz Island one of those days...
Interested?
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Date: 26 Jun 2007 23:45:31
From: Brian Tung
Subject: Re: Come on Eta Carinae -- Explode Already!
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benk wrote:
> Going to SFO tomorrow. We'll be in the Bay Area until Friday, then
> Atascadero until Tuesday, then back to FL. We're thinking of taking a
> day trip from Ventura to Santa Cruz Island one of those days...
> Interested?
Sounds like we're headed in opposite directions, but maybe we can hook
up either Thursday night or Friday morning. Drop me an e-mail.
--
Brian Tung <brian@isi.edu >
The Astronomy Corner at http://astro.isi.edu/
Unofficial C5+ Home Page at http://astro.isi.edu/c5plus/
The PleiadAtlas Home Page at http://astro.isi.edu/pleiadatlas/
My Own Personal FAQ (SAA) at http://astro.isi.edu/reference/faq.html
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Date: 25 Jun 2007 10:33:40
From: benk
Subject: Re: Come on Eta Carinae -- Explode Already!
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On Jun 23, 1:41 pm, b...@praesepe.isi.edu (Brian Tung) wrote:
> Southern Florida would also work, but it's cloudier.
I'll say. Just as I was noticing how nice the moon was last night, the
clouds rolled in. We got trace amounts of rain, but no visibility
during my prime viewing hours.
Oh, well. California, here I come (just for a couple of days...)!
--Ben
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Date: 26 Jun 2007 00:11:57
From: Brian Tung
Subject: Re: Come on Eta Carinae -- Explode Already!
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Ben Kolstad wrote:
> I'll say. Just as I was noticing how nice the moon was last night, the
> clouds rolled in. We got trace amounts of rain, but no visibility
> during my prime viewing hours.
> Oh, well. California, here I come (just for a couple of days...)!
When are you coming out here?
--
Brian Tung <brian@isi.edu >
The Astronomy Corner at http://astro.isi.edu/
Unofficial C5+ Home Page at http://astro.isi.edu/c5plus/
The PleiadAtlas Home Page at http://astro.isi.edu/pleiadatlas/
My Own Personal FAQ (SAA) at http://astro.isi.edu/reference/faq.html
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Date: 23 Jun 2007 05:42:59
From: Kickin' Ass and Takin' Names
Subject: Re: Come on Eta Carinae -- Explode Already!
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On Jun 22, 5:49 pm, Sam Wormley <sworml...@mchsi.com > wrote:
> Come on Eta Carinae -- Explode Already!
> http://www.universetoday.com/2007/06/21/come-on-eta-carinae-explode-a...
>
> June 21st, 2007
>
> The death watch is on for Eta Carinae, a relatively nearby massive
> star that's set to explode as a supernova. The Chandra X-Ray
> Observatory delivered this beautiful photograph of the star and its
> surrounding nebula; layers of material that it's already shed in its
> death throes.
>
> When it does explode, Eta Carinae is going to be spectacular. It's
> thought to have between 100 and 150 times the mass of our own Sun.
> Not only that, it's a mere 7,500 light years away. Its brilliant
> display of fireworks will rival the light of the full Moon, and
> should be easy to see in the middle of the day; you could read a book
> by it at night.
>
> So when's it going to blow? Well, astronomers disagree on this point.
> The majority think that Eta Carinae has one final stage to go
> through, called a Wolf-Rayet star. Others think it's already passed
> this stage, and it's ready to go. It could explode tomorrow, or it
> could be 100,000 years away. Still, that's a blink of the eye
> cosmically speaking.
Given that Eta Carinae is 7,500 LY away, it may have exploded already.
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Date: 23 Jun 2007 07:36:51
From: Shawn
Subject: Re: Come on Eta Carinae -- Explode Already!
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Kickin' Ass and Takin' Names wrote:
> On Jun 22, 5:49 pm, Sam Wormley <sworml...@mchsi.com> wrote:
>> Come on Eta Carinae -- Explode Already!
>> http://www.universetoday.com/2007/06/21/come-on-eta-carinae-explode-a...
snip
> Given that Eta Carinae is 7,500 LY away, it may have exploded already.
>
>
Yes, yesterday. The light won't reach Earth until recorded civilization
is three times it's current age.
I'd love to observe an SN before I go SN myself (or more likely white
dwarf ;-) ) in the next 40 years or so. I'd bet on the overall odds in
our galaxy, but not on Eta Carinae. It's big and showy, spending at an
unsustainable rate (bites political tongue), but it can probably keep it
up for significantly longer than we'll be around.
Shawn (not losing sleep over *that*)
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Date: 23 Jun 2007 10:42:56
From: Brian Tung
Subject: Re: Come on Eta Carinae -- Explode Already!
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Shawn wrote:
> I'd love to observe an SN before I go SN myself (or more likely white
> dwarf ;-) ) in the next 40 years or so. I'd bet on the overall odds in
> our galaxy, but not on Eta Carinae. It's big and showy, spending at an
> unsustainable rate (bites political tongue), but it can probably keep it
> up for significantly longer than we'll be around.
I predict that before we reach the middle of this century (assuming we
do indeed reach it!), we will be able to determine when a star will
supernova within a decade or so. None of this "anytime within the next
10,000 years" baloney.
--
Brian Tung <brian@isi.edu >
The Astronomy Corner at http://astro.isi.edu/
Unofficial C5+ Home Page at http://astro.isi.edu/c5plus/
The PleiadAtlas Home Page at http://astro.isi.edu/pleiadatlas/
My Own Personal FAQ (SAA) at http://astro.isi.edu/reference/faq.html
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Date: 23 Jun 2007 06:26:50
From: Dave Deming
Subject: Re: Come on Eta Carinae -- Explode Already!
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Aren't we supposed to see a large spike in neutrinos prior to the
visible effects of the collapse of the core. Also, what about ionizing
radiation from it?
Dave
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Date: 23 Jun 2007 14:11:51
From: Sam Wormley
Subject: Re: Come on Eta Carinae -- Explode Already!
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Dave Deming wrote:
> Aren't we supposed to see a large spike in neutrinos prior to the
> visible effects of the collapse of the core. Also, what about ionizing
> radiation from it?
> Dave
>
I would expect a very large detected flux of neutrinos, based
on the data of SN 1967A.
The rotational axis orientation of eta carina, coupled with our
understanding of collapse generated GRBs, renders frying earth
a moot point.
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Date: 25 Jun 2007 13:04:24
From: mitch
Subject: Re: Come on Eta Carinae -- Explode Already!
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Perhaps it already has exploded. But we won't see it for another 1000-7500
years. That article was written by a sensationalizing
idiot !
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Date: 25 Jun 2007 15:20:07
From: Eugene Griessel
Subject: Re: Come on Eta Carinae -- Explode Already!
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"mitch" <mitch@nospam.net > wrote:
>Perhaps it already has exploded. But we won't see it for another 1000-7500
>years. That article was written by a sensationalizing
>idiot !
If you want to be pedantic then perhaps we should ignore everything we
see in the sky because it's happened hundreds, thousands or millions
of years ago? Fact is Eta Carina has been high on the list of the
next likely visible supernovas in our galaxy for many years. It's
recent (visible) brightening to be the brightest star in the heavens
was already a warning to astronomers that something was going on
there.
Eugene L Griessel
To succeed in politics it is often necessary
to rise above one's principles.
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Date: 22 Jun 2007 23:10:37
From: OG
Subject: Re: Come on Eta Carinae -- Explode Already!
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"Sam Wormley" <swormley1@mchsi.com > wrote in message
news:QtXei.176636$_c5.115945@attbi_s22...
> Come on Eta Carinae -- Explode Already!
>
> http://www.universetoday.com/2007/06/21/come-on-eta-carinae-explode-already/
>
> June 21st, 2007
>
> The death watch is on for Eta Carinae, a relatively nearby massive
> star that's set to explode as a supernova. The Chandra X-Ray
> Observatory delivered this beautiful photograph of the star and its
> surrounding nebula; layers of material that it's already shed in its
> death throes.
>
> When it does explode, Eta Carinae is going to be spectacular. It's
> thought to have between 100 and 150 times the mass of our own Sun.
> Not only that, it's a mere 7,500 light years away. Its brilliant
> display of fireworks will rival the light of the full Moon, and
> should be easy to see in the middle of the day; you could read a book
> by it at night.
Will it count as 'light pollution' when it goes?
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Date: 22 Jun 2007 22:27:08
From: Eugene Griessel
Subject: Re: Come on Eta Carinae -- Explode Already!
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"OG" <owen@gwynnefamily.org.uk > wrote:
>
>"Sam Wormley" <swormley1@mchsi.com> wrote in message
>news:QtXei.176636$_c5.115945@attbi_s22...
>> Come on Eta Carinae -- Explode Already!
>>
>> http://www.universetoday.com/2007/06/21/come-on-eta-carinae-explode-already/
>>
>> June 21st, 2007
>>
>> The death watch is on for Eta Carinae, a relatively nearby massive
>> star that's set to explode as a supernova. The Chandra X-Ray
>> Observatory delivered this beautiful photograph of the star and its
>> surrounding nebula; layers of material that it's already shed in its
>> death throes.
>>
>> When it does explode, Eta Carinae is going to be spectacular. It's
>> thought to have between 100 and 150 times the mass of our own Sun.
>> Not only that, it's a mere 7,500 light years away. Its brilliant
>> display of fireworks will rival the light of the full Moon, and
>> should be easy to see in the middle of the day; you could read a book
>> by it at night.
>
>Will it count as 'light pollution' when it goes?
I wouldn't hold my breath waiting. I've been peering at that bit of
sky regularly for the last 30 odd years hoping it will
blow.......after being told it was the most likely star to go
spectacularly supernova by a lecturer at the planetarium.
Eugene L Griessel
The more you observe politics, the more you've got to admit that
each party is worse than the other. - Will Rogers
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Date: 22 Jun 2007 22:08:56
From: Eugene Griessel
Subject: Re: Come on Eta Carinae -- Explode Already!
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Sam Wormley <swormley1@mchsi.com > wrote:
>Come on Eta Carinae -- Explode Already!
Going to be a bit low on the horizon for most of you Northerners
though!
Eugene L Griessel
Power is the by-product of understanding.
Jacob Bronowski
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Date: 25 Jun 2007 19:31:38
From: Marty
Subject: Re: Come on Eta Carinae -- Explode Already!
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>Going to be a bit low on the horizon for
> most of you Northerners though!
>Eugene L Griessel
That means it will go within 20 or 30 years... I might still be alive,
and it'll drive me crazy not being able to see it.
Marty
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Date: 26 Jun 2007 02:18:35
From: lal_truckee
Subject: Re: Come on Eta Carinae -- Explode Already!
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Marty wrote:
>> Going to be a bit low on the horizon for
>> most of you Northerners though!
>> Eugene L Griessel
>
> That means it will go within 20 or 30 years... I might still be alive,
> and it'll drive me crazy not being able to see it.
By then you'll be retired and there'd be nothing keeping you from
dropping everything and flying off to see the big boom.
Hell, you might even be venture capitalist successful and use your own
airplane - the one with the 40 inch (real) R-C in the hold.
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Date: 25 Jun 2007 23:38:29
From: Shawn
Subject: Re: Come on Eta Carinae -- Explode Already!
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lal_truckee wrote:
> Marty wrote:
>>> Going to be a bit low on the horizon for
>>> most of you Northerners though! Eugene L Griessel
>>
>> That means it will go within 20 or 30 years... I might still be alive,
>> and it'll drive me crazy not being able to see it.
>
> By then you'll be retired and there'd be nothing keeping you from
> dropping everything and flying off to see the big boom.
>
> Hell, you might even be venture capitalist successful and use your own
> airplane - the one with the 40 inch (real) R-C in the hold.
Just make sure your passport is in order.
Shawn
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Date: 23 Jun 2007 17:19:35
From:
Subject: Re: Come on Eta Carinae -- Explode Already!
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Eugene Griessel wrote:
>
>Sam Wormley <swormley1@mchsi.com> wrote:
>
>>Come on Eta Carinae -- Explode Already!
>
>Going to be a bit low on the horizon for most of you Northerners
>though!
Visible from Los Angeles?
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Date: 23 Jun 2007 10:41:04
From: Brian Tung
Subject: Re: Come on Eta Carinae -- Explode Already!
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> Visible from Los Angeles?
Not unless you get some altitude. The declination of eta Carinae is
-59d34m, which means that it cannot be seen from latitudes above 30d26m
north. Atmospheric refraction might knock that up to about 31d, but
that's still some three degrees south of Los Angeles, depending on where
in the sprawling metropolis you are. Gaining some altitude would help,
but not by three degrees.
Best shot without leaving the country is to fly to Hawaii. Southern
Florida would also work, but it's cloudier.
--
Brian Tung <brian@isi.edu >
The Astronomy Corner at http://astro.isi.edu/
Unofficial C5+ Home Page at http://astro.isi.edu/c5plus/
The PleiadAtlas Home Page at http://astro.isi.edu/pleiadatlas/
My Own Personal FAQ (SAA) at http://astro.isi.edu/reference/faq.html
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