DON'T PANIC! Betelgeuse Won't Explode in 2012

[Analog]

The article kicks off by equating Betelgeuse's impending explosion with the "twin suns" on Tatooine, the world where Star Wars' Luke Skywaker lived. In Star Wars: A New Hope, Luke watches the setting binary stars of Tatoo. When Betelgeuse goes supernova, will it really shine as bright as our sun, perhaps giving us that famous double-sun scene from Star Wars?
That's a nice thought, but 640 light-years is still quite a distance, and although when it does blow astronomers think we'll be able to see the explosion for some weeks during the day -- still a very impressive and historic event -- that's a far cry from thinking a sun-supernova combo could resemble any binary star system.
But the biggest issue to come out of this article is the ominous and completely erroneous mention of... wait for it... 2012.
"The infamous red super-giant star in Orion’s nebula -- Betelgeuse -- is predicted to go gangbusters and the impending super-nova may reach Earth before 2012, and when it does, all of our wildest Star Wars dreams will come true," the article says.


http://news.discovery.com/space/dont-panic-betelgeuse-wont-explode-in-2012.html

 

[Fritzo]

Ford Prefect is pissed. He just moved back home and bought a new apartment.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

HuffPo really screwed the whole article.

 

[sjwaste]

Ford Prefect is pissed. He just moved back home and bought a new apartment.

Haha, The Hitchhiker's Guide was the first thing I thought too. DONT PANIC.

 

[waggy]

Haha, The Hitchhiker's Guide was the first thing I thought too. DONT PANIC.

lol same.

 

[SKORPI0]

Too late, it already exploded 1372 A.D. The light from that explosion will reach us Dec 2012.

 

[Schadenfroh]

Is Ceti-Alpha VI still at risk of exploding?

 

[techs]

Just don't say Betelgeuse three times!

 

[geno]

Even if it does explode in 2012, we won't see the results until another what, 600 years or so?

 

[silverpig]

Is Ceti-Alpha VI still at risk of exploding?

No no, it's Ceti-Alpha V.

 

[AlienCraft]

Even if it does explode in 2012, we won't see the results until another what, 600 years or so?

Please see item below.

Too late, it already exploded 1372 A.D. The light from that explosion will reach us Dec 2012.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Too late, it already exploded 1372 A.D. The light from that explosion will reach us Dec 2012.

Measured from what frame of reference?

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

Measured from what frame of reference?

1372 + 640 = ??? :hmm:

 

[IGemini]

Measured from what frame of reference?

Why do you think they call it a "light-year?" If Betelgeuse really showed up as a second giant light bulb in the sky next year it would have taken 640 years for the light of the explosion to get here. 2012 - 640 = 1372