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Another quote from later in the article: > a very close supernova could inflict massive harm to life on Earth ...but they fail to mention how close this "very
by rob74 6y ago
Another quote from later in the article:
> a very close supernova could inflict massive harm to life on Earth
...but they fail to mention how close this "very close" is. I assume 700 light years (Betelgeuse) is a little bit far away to qualify? As a total amateur in astronomy/astrophysics, I would assume that if there were any "very close" stars that are massive enough to go supernova, they would already be known?!
- speakeron 6y ago50 light years is the generally accepted distance that would cause problems. There are no candidates this close that could cause a type II supernova (this is when a massive old star, like Betelgeuse, collapses), but there could be potential type I supernovae lurking closer. These are binary pairs of a white dwarf and another star where the white dwarf is accreting mass from the companion and reaches a limit (the Chandrasekhar mass) where runaway nuclear fusion spontaneously occurs.