Added: 3 years ago
From: TheBadAstronomer
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  • Too bad that they're that far away, why couldn't Spica have blown up 260 years ago.

  • What about the moon colliding to earth? will that ever happen

  • Heey And what about sirius a ? sirius b is sucking up sirius a on this moment and google sky have blocked that view. is sirius b not gonna explode? it's is also 8.6 lightjears from here

  • you fuckin rock... no homo

  • this supernova that they found recently is no danger to earth or us.it is said 21 million light years away. 21 million light years is very far away from eath so don't worry. this supernova is not in the earths danger zone or so called "back yard"

  • ...Pinwheel Galaxy had a supernova explosion at approximately 21 million light-years away, the neutrino blast had been captured and it is bringing right now

    ~this Super Nova Explosion is visible with binoculars, located at the handle of the big dipper, between the last two stars and north in a equal lateral triangle point

    = brightest Sept 9 so don't miss it

  • Comment removed

  • ...what of the magnistar pulsar when it feeds or the little ones blow off

    ~and that hyper super nova coronal hyper ejected mater that just keeps going until it joins up with something bigger

    =as you say, where do those comets and asteroids come from anyhow, and all that energy

    -remember the dinosaurs watching 120 million years ago for 40 million years

    -a whole universe out there just waiting for life to fill it , wisely, as life is about migration, stacking the odds against postponed extinction

  • Comment removed

  • @FordPrefectification FAIL

    You're confusing a supernova with a Gamma-ray burst

    Supernova explode in EVERY DIRECTION

  • @FordPrefectification Turn out you did not read Wikipedia too

    Spica is about 10.25 Solar masses. A star above 10 solar masses can go supernova. The reason is does not on the list because is unlikely to explode, but still possible.The list only list stars that very likely to go supernova

  • If one of those stars exploded in supernova, how bright would they be in the sky? Like the sun?

  • @Battery9876 Supernovae are unimaginably bright. They can outshine their entire GALAXY. But i'm not sure how close it would need to be to match the brightness of the sun. Tens of light years perhaps.

  • your mom was not safe from my supernova

  • Down-voted for FAIL.

    Does this guy even read Wikipedia?! Spica is not even on the 'List of Supernova Candidates'

    Also IK Pegasi due to the uncertainty in its stellar evolution could go off any time in the next million years .. that includes tomorrow.. and it would be a type 1a. At least the end would be very quick and very thorough.

    Also if the supernova's axis is pointed at us the damage range is ~3300 Light years.

    For a full report Google this: "Catch a Star! 2004" report-n

  • @FordPrefectification Although IK Pegasi is moving away from us at about 11 km/sec, SO if it went off 1.3 million years from now it would be about 200 away. Since its axis is not pointed at us it should be safe then.

  • Did anyone ever tell you you kinda look like the Nostalgia Critic?

  • Its mass is around 11 times the mass of the sun. So its border-line blowupable-that's a scientific term, "blowupable". haha i wish he was my science teacher!!!

  • Um IK Pegasi is a dangerous canidate, 150 light years away. Not type 2 therefore much more dangerous. But IK Pegasi is the nearest threat

  • if you were my science teacher... there would be a point to school. Awesome videos, I can't stop watching haha

  • "it ejected itself from my..system" if you say so matey what ever sinks your boat :)

  • There is an explination of the creation of Platinum in Wikipedia that states it is made in a "Quark star" a form of extreme Neutron star. If so, how does it get into the general universe, can neutron stars explode?

  • @SvenTviking no neutron stars are one of the aftermaths of a supernova platinum is formed in the supernova along with the other heavier elements such as gold,graphite,nickle and so on....

  • @BLACK420OPS I don't know if what they ment was that platinum was only made in supernova explosions of stars big enough to form "Quark stars". The definition for QS was one were the matter in the core degenerated beyond the nutron star level. Being made of a quark soup rather than nutron soup. If you see what I mean. Its wikipedia!

  • Noticed a Carl Sagan book in the background there :D

  • so many know-it-alls, fear mongers and randoms making money from peoples ignorance

  • Dang, it's bad to discover a new channel on youtube like this at 0430 :D

  • I thought that White dwarf stars (what the Sun will turn into) were made primarily of Carbon, and it was the Carbon that creates the supernova. Could the increased temperature of the White Dwarf (due to the accretion of matter form it's 'sister' star) coupled with the fusion of the hydrogen (the part that was ripped from the sister star and accreted onto the White dwarf) cause a type of thermonuclear explosion (the supernova of the White Dwarf)?

  • hey i just wanted to say that i really appreciate all that you have done to help people out to undertsand complex science. it makes me wish i was a science man as well :p

  • yeah i think i just learned something.

  • Regardless of distances to them, I wonder if there are any stars visible from the Earth ready, or nearly-ready, to become supernovae?

  • Sirius A and Sirius B.

  • will it explode the earth if one star exploades

  • so that means i have to eliminate supernova of my 2012 list.

  • The nearest White Dwarf with a companion is the Sirius system. Is there any chance of a Type 1A supernova happening when Sirius A turns into a red giant?

  • But is it a true NZ minty or the fake American 100% toothpaste variety? That is the question. 

  • Through the video I thought how you are saying that there are no dangers for the Earth or more directly from the SuperNova, and then you said that there are other things to worry about like Asteroid impacts and solar rays.

    Like; Hey no worries mate, thats not going to destroy us, but Asteroids will!

    Some people are going to take it seriously... I just LOLed when you said that...

  • 50 ly statement seems off. Most articles i have read say substantial damage to our atmosphere can be done by directed energy quite a bit further. Up to 500ly. Anything beyond that we are safe. Beetlejuice will explode soon, its so far off though that its of no concern, and the projected direction of harmful energy will go another direction from us. It should be a sight to behold when it does go hyper nova.

  • WD104 is our biggest threat because this person is using approximation distances.

  • He is a motor mouth

  • This guy doesn't stick with his theme explanation. Instead he places paragraphs into paragraphs because he is extremely over wordy and thinks he is in a race to explain something. Did you hear him!

  • 4:08

    bwaa!

    Lol

  • me 2

  • Comment removed

  • You entertain me. :]

  • Where can I post questions to this guy to get a response?

  • @R4Zy3L your mom

  • What the fuck is your fuckcing problem kid? Go learn how to fap.

  • whats your problem

  • you are a bully

  • It is my understanding that the gamma ray burst from WR104 would be pointed almost directly at Earth. Astronomers consider WR104 to be the biggest threat from another star.

  • Hey zack lets not be a douche... he is just trying to inform people. or fill people with cool information.

  • that's riiight XD +CO2

  • Phil, one of the best explanations of the sequence of events for different types of supernovae. What really fascinates me is the hypernova phenomenon, which I've heard described by astronomers as the effect of viewing a supernovae in the line-of-sight of the focused energy release. I think they measure 10-1000X the energy of a normal supernovae.

  • THE SUN IS GONNA EXPLOOODE!!!

  • Haha!.....*looks up curiously*

  • there was an article I read once that stated that a super-massive star went nova and released a gamma ray burst that lasted a full half hour and it had the effect of sterilizing that particular galaxy, ever hear of that? This happened in a distant galaxy btw...........

  • I'm just curious how that can be true.......have they proven that life exists in other galaxies?

  • your right, scottypants, I was making an assumption about life existing outside of earth. But that is more or less besides the point, I was trying to say that 1) supernovas can be very, very dangerous and 2) if thebadsastronomer is aware of this particular event.

    Oh, and there has got to be life elsewhere, we're not made of special or rare materials and our star is a very ordinary star, one of billions, albeit very stable and long lived but there ya go.

  • they haven't proven anything....its still a theory

    we are sure that some life exists somewhere, but we haven't found anything

  • i just discovered your stuff on here and im really enjoying it.. thanks for your posts they are great to watch.

  • I have a question. Are Saturn and Jupiter failed star wannabes? Thanks for the great videos!

  • nope, they don't even come close to it.

    Even at 10 times the mass of Jupiter, you'd still only get a brown dwarf, which some might call a 'failed star'.

    You need atleast 20 times the mass of Jupiter (1/20th of the Sun's mass) before fusion can happen and sustain itself. And that would result in a very dim and boring star.

  • I believe it's 'loosely stated' that Jupiter is a 'failed star'. However, that's somewhat of a misnomer. Jupiter is no where near massive enough to generate the pressures (thus temperatures) to start the 'fusion reactions' that powers stars.

  • yeah a brown dwarf is a failed star, much bigger than jupitor

  • you're an epic fail dude. Go back to school and learn to listen and spell

  • this 2012 stuff is sooo gay its not going 2 happen u guys are so dumb hahahahah the mihin calinder is retarted

  • 2012 stuff? You must be the dumb one here he is talking about the sun. Its mayan calendar and the other word is spelled retarded.

  • we'll die first before a supernova occurs...

  • omg this will happen on 2012

  • ***important * READ

    You are a very smart man. I enjoy your videos they are very informing. Betelgeuse is actually a real threat to our solar system and can go super nova at any moment scientists predict next 10-1000 years. And supernova's can cause devestation within a 500 light year radius with ejected particles from the alien solar systems

  • I thought that the fusion that takes place in a white dwarf (that creates the explosion), had to do with the fusion of Carbon? I thought that White dwarf stars were mainly made out of Carbon?

  • They are, but he was talking about when a white dwarf draws in a "regular" star.

  • Yes, however the 'regular' star accretes matter onto the surface of the white dwarf (as the White Dwarf rips matter off of the regular star), thus increases its mass, raising its temperature to the point where carbon fuses. Then the white dwarf explodes. Right?

  • No, No, No. When a White Dwarf were to explode, it would create much heavier elements, Sort of like how really massive stars when they go supernova create all elements up to Uranium. This White Dwarf explosion would probably create around the Iron range. White Dwarfs on their own fuse to carbon, then settle into brown, dead, stars. Where fusion stops, and the heat is gone.

  • Actually, all the heavier elements are created by stars much more massive than our sun. G type stars, like our sun, leave a core behind after they go Nova (Nova isn't an explosion). If a companion Star is near by, the high mass of the Dwarf will 'rip matter off of it'. It will create an accretion disk around the dwarf, as matter accretes, it raises the temperature to the point were carbon will fuse, and explodes. It's called a type one Supernova (or Carbon detonation).

  • "...then settle into brown..." Brown dwarfs aren't stars, and never were. They are objects that are heavier than Gas Giants (like Jupiter), however, don't have the mass needed for hydrogen to fuse. 'Dead stars', like Neutron Stars (after they come off their 'pulsar stage') are created by Stars much more Massive than our Sun.

  • Oh, this is Crazykb, I'm using my other account...

  • 4:07

    lol

  • lol blowupable

  • This isn't true if you believe the new Star Trek movie .. e,e...

  • Dang it I went to Borders last week and forgot to buy the book. Next time, it's a sure purchase!

  • viewer 14,200

    YAH

  • umm we can prevent solar flares how?

  • bloapable :D

  • bah hell with it

  • it took one video to convince me to subscribe. thank you, i love the skies and the stars. specially the stars...

  • This is my new favorite channel!

  • *hand up*

    I have a question.

    If I was out watching the night sky, does it explode fast enough to be able to see it happen? And would it stand out?

  • I'm not the science guy here, of course, but I can somewhat answer that.

    You would not be able to see a star blow up in the sense of an explosion that you're probably thinking. It doesn't necessarily happen quickly, and plus, light takes a while to travel. (I love the concept that says that the light we see from stars is "old", so we're looking into the "past.")

    If the star was close enough, you might be able to pick it out among the other stars of the sky, but a telescope might be needed.

  • Yes.

    We are talking about a bomb bigger than the Sun.

    It's really hard to wrap your mind around the amount of energy produced.

    Such an event would be spectacular.

    You'd be able to see it during the day.

  • When a star blew up in 1054, the "guest star" recorded by Chinese and other astronomers lasted for years. In fact, for a month, it was bright enough to be seen during the daytime! Google "Crab Nebula" for some more information.

  • betelguese

  • Man thats a scary huge star but theres stars that dwarfs it and pisses on it lol sounds like a horrible porno.

  • we would kill each other before any supernova could anyways...

  • i just want to ask one question to everybody is a foggot a swear word and what does it mean.

  • Depends on the context.

  • Have you put much thought to the Gamma Ray flux from an Eta Carinea explosion on the tritium load surrounding the plutonium pits of nuclear devices? Gamma rays interacting with tritium produce LOTS of neutrons, thats why they are in bombs.

  • Isn't Sirius around 8.5 lightyears from us...? What if that blew up?...can it?

  • Sirius A is only twice the size of the sun too small to explode, Sirius B is a white dwarf about the size of earth also too small to explode.

  • I can't wait to get hands on a copy of that book.

  • i think i saw a star die out but im unsure.

  • Lol, it was something else...

  • phil wats the biggest star because there is a lot of speculation about this !

  • you know what the fuck heads who just spend their whole life Makeing fun of youtube videos. but the people who do that must have no lives and no girlfriends. this gut has some good information but you guys r too retarded to realize that hes very samrt and explaims some interesting point but you people are just to full of your own shit that you cant notice that, sooo JOG ON!!!!

  • Question: How close does a white dwarf have to be to an average sized star like our Sun to draw matter from it? And what's the average density of a white dwarf?

  • What? Are you retarded or something?

  • Kenwardagte-

    White dwarf stars has aboslutley nothing to do with shorter than average light skinned humans I assure you. My guess as to why they are called white dwarf stars if because They are white and small.

  • I guess rationalway and oreomonster01 have never heard or recognized sarcasm before. I think it is hilarious that they thought that kenwardgate was serious. Perhaps when they are introduced to the concept of sarcasm they will reflect on their comments and have a little giggle. =8~P>

  • Oh I'm glad that question is answered. Thanks a lot funny scientist (I say you are).

    Many thanks Phil. Thanks as well TheBadAstronomer. But....why are you called that? It's not an insult is it?

  • This just might be Al Gores new cash cow to scam people into thinking were doomed so he can make more money.

  • Great videos, Phil!

  • omg phil i love you. You should run for office lol!!!! I'd like to hear your predictions on the LHC. Please message me back

  • Hey phill, what about a white dwarf colliding with the sun ? wouldn't this cause an instantaneous big ba-da-boom ?

  • Quite interesting video it really makes alot of sense, although it's not really helpful because i already know about this.

  • Dude, I want to read your book! I beat it has gamma ray bursts.

  • i want some kindy the white one

  • You need to get a microphone with noise reduction, or enable noise reduction on your sound card's microphone setup. It's kind of annoying to hear the high-pitched background noise from your computer.

  • I'm not hearing any high-pitched background noise. Perhaps you need a new sound card??

  • Um, no.

  • Ehmm, I dont hear any high pitch noises... It sounds like your sound card may have issues, or you may need to update your codecs.

  • No, really, it's not a problem with my sound card or my drivers. It is admittedly a minor complaint, and really only a problem when I'm wearing headphones, but it is definitely there and not an artifact. It just sounds like a particularly noisy computer fan or hard drive in the background. Not a big deal, but could be corrected easily with noise reduction.

  • I've got monitor phones, pretty expensive ones, and they're good at playing all frequencies. I'm also running a Creative X-Fi card. Really, I'm thinking it's your card, or you may even have your system's equalizer settings thrown off. Using a C-Media or Realtek based soundcard? Set your sound control panel Equalizer to normal.

  • SHALaaa

  • I've seen ferris bueller so many times and I don't get that shala joke.

  • Fantastic video.

    Neutrinos can pass through lightyears of lead? I knew they were very penetrable and undetectable, but...wow.

  • easy to understand, well presented, interesting and informative, TOP Quality!

  • aren't there future potent pulsars of doom?

  • I always thought they said "Shawna" in Ferris Bueller. Jennifer Grey tells Charlie Sheen her name in the police station and in the background you hear..."Shawna" or "Shala." Either way, they both sound the same. By the way, my name is Shawna. HAHAHA!! Honest!

  • Phil, when is the pilot for "The Skeptologists" going to be on TV?:)

  • I predict Antares or Betelgeuse.

  • Best book title ever.

  • Are we safe from black holes? Aren't we all gonna get eaten next month when they do that collider thing?

  • ...

    We already have created them about.....2 years ago. And.....oh wait were still here.

    If you want the link to it I will provide it if I can find it.

  • That would be cool. It's all very fascinating. I thought the thing they're going to do was completely new.

  • Wow, science is awesome, and so are you Mr. Plait. Keep making videos! I think I will buy your book now, it looks very interesting is it on Amazon?

  • The correct term is 'blowable uppable'.

    But is the universe re-big-bangable?

  • Many would debate that it is and many would debate that it isn't. There's a theory that the univers contracts expands contracts expands an infinite amount of times, but it's only a theory.

  • This is the kind of person who really makes me enjoy learning.

  • Well, "blowupable" is a perfectly cromulent word.

  • The stars' resemblance to the minty and the squishy brain in the painting at 1:46 is funny.

    Did you merely stumble upon that painting afterward?

  • (Reply to self)

    Oh, I see, it was from your friend David Hardy. Perhaps you remembered that particular photo before you decided to use it.

  • Good stuff as always Phil. What I am hoping is that we get to see a supernova go off that is visible to the naked eye (i.e. in our galaxy) "soon". I remember scientists talking about (wishing for) that in the PBS documentary about 1987b.

  • good to know that I don't need to worry about that, not that I knew it was somnething that might need worrying about...

    that reminds me, one of my favorite Sci-Fi series (ringworld) had something about a sort of super-super-nova involving multiple stars or black holes in the center of the galaxy, would a chain reaction involving multiple stars like that even be possible, and, if so, would it be any more deadly from an earth perspective than the nearest potential supernova star blowing?

  • Cool is your book out in America? Amazon(UK) shows October for the release.

  • I got the Shala thing :) love that movie

  • I don't lie awake worrying about stars blowing up, or solar rays, or comet impacts, because if anything happens that destroys the Earth I will be dead and incapable of being upset about it...

  • That's one good way to cure depression. :)

  • Oops, it's supposed to read "What do you KNOW" in my former post. Dislexy is getting the better of me today. Or it may be the boose, who knows.

    Boose probably is not spelled that way too...

  • Oops. GalileO in English...

  • what do you, the blooper actually worked out okay, good improvization there...

    Transitiving, it would be something longer. You could probably read at night by the light of a close supernova for weeks (thanks Sagan), it would be much brighter than a full moon.

    An explosion like that should happen at about once every 100 years or so in a galaxy our size, but we have been unlucky: none has happened in our galaxy since the telescope almost 400 years ago (thanks Galileu)

  • Phil! Thanks for everything. My son is 8 years old and we both appreciate your videos. Not only you explain well for the "common" ones, but you do it nicely. Keep up the good work! Keep us curious without ALL the answers. Let us search for even more. You are an asset to science, heck, to society!

  • Wow. Thanks! It's very cool that your son is into astronomy. Get him some binoculars!

  • What about a GRB from one of these close, future supernovas? Is it even possible?

    Thanks. Very enjoyable.

  • phil, i love you. you make me feel like i can understand some of this stuff! where can i go for your live chat?

  • good to know, now I can sleep. what would it look like if the nearest blowupable star blew up? would it be just a flash or some thing longer?

  • can a white dwarf absorb matter and form a new star?

  • Well, a white dwarf technically IS a star. But the deal with white dwarfs is as Phil explained, when they absorb enough mass, they go supernova (type 1A I believe).

  • yea, i understand that, but if there were not enough mass to make it explode but enough mass to make it larger, or kickstart a fusion reaction then stablize. just wondering about possible possible star birth scenerio

  • @CousinoMacul fuck you haha 2 years ago

  • Actually, that's a very good question. I wondered that myself many years ago. Then astronomers found a star that really looks like it used to be a white dwarf. Totally bizarre. I have no idea if that was ever confirmed. Maybe it got enough fuel to kick start it again. Or maybe it was a totally wrong interpretation. :-) I should ask my friend who found it...

  • it would be interesting to know what he found out