The red supergiant star will explode in a supernova, close enough to shine brightly during the day but far enough away that Earth won’t be in danger. Source: https://earthsky.org/brightest-stars/betelgeuse-will-explode-someday…
Tag: dust cloud
Betelgeuse is smaller, closer, and won’t explode any time soon
According to new research, the red supergiant star Betelgeuse – which began to dim dramatically in brightness in late 2019 – might not explode for another 100,000 years. The star is also smaller and closer to us than first thought. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/betelgeuse-supergiant-smaller-closer-wont-explode-soon…
Mysterious dimming of Betelgeuse explained?
Observations with the Hubble Space Telescope revealed a large amount of dense hot gas moving outwards through Betelgeuse’s extended atmosphere. This gas might have cooled and formed a dust cloud that partially blocked the star’s light as seen from Earth, earlier this year. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/betelgeuses-early-2020-dimming-explained…
Dusty sunrises and sunsets over U.S. South
See the layers of dust set against this South Carolina sunset? That dust came from Africa’s Sahara Desert. It traveled across the Atlantic Ocean this month to cause dusty skies across the U.S. south and into Texas. Source: https://earthsky.org/todays-image/photos-saharan-dust-june-2020-florida-texas…
The world’s biggest dust bunny is crossing the Atlantic Ocean right now
A “Godzilla dust cloud” from the Sahara Desert that’s heading toward the United States this week is the largest and most concentrated dust cloud of its kind in the past 50 years. Source: https://www.livescience.com/giant-sahara-dust-cloud-crossing-atlantic.html
A beloved exoplanet turns to dust
Fomalhaut b was thought to be one of the few exoplanets photographed so far, but new observations from the Hubble Space Telescope show it’s really an expanding dust cloud. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/fomalhaut-b-not-an-exoplanet-instead-a-dust-cloud…
Apollo 15 Astronaut Al Worden Passes Away
“Former astronaut Alfred M. Worden, command module pilot on the Apollo 15 lunar landing, passed away March 18, 2020, in Texas,” reports NASA.gov. His son-in-law told the New York Times Worden apparently died of a stroke. “Al was an American hero whose achievements in space and on Earth will never be forgotten,” tweeted NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. Slashdot reader Iwastheone shares…
What is the gegenschein?
The sun’s counterglow – or gegenschein – is kind of a stargazers’ legend. What is it, and how can you see it? Erwin Matys and Karoline Mrazek of Project Nightflight explain. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/definition-what-is-the-gegenschein…
Flight through the comet Chury’s dust cloud resolves chemical mystery
Under the leadership of astrophysicist Kathrin Altwegg, Bernese researchers have found an explanation for why very little nitrogen could previously be accounted for in the nebulous covering of comets: the building block for life predominantly occurs in the form of ammonium salts, the occurrence of which could not previously be measured. The salts may be a further indication that comet impacts…
Astronomers find ‘missing’ neutron star after 32 years
Thirty-two years ago, Supernova 1987A erupted in the nearby Large Magellanic Cloud. Astronomers using the ALMA radio telescope now say they’ve found the small, compact neutron star created in this mighty star explosion. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/astronomers-find-missing-neutron-star-sn1987a…