The famous red supergiant star of Betelgeuse has been in the spotlight for years, as it was discovered that it would one day explode into a supernova, accompanied by a spectacular phenomenon. This erupting spectacle will illuminate the entire night sky for weeks or even months, even during the day.
But when will this spectacle happen? Scientists predict that any day in a hundred thousand years from today is possible. Due to the universe's long timescale, the exact time of metamorphosis into a supernova is difficult to predict. However, not only Betelgeuse, but other stars are also on the verge of exploding into supernovae for a certain period of time. Now let's look at the superplanet candidates, who scientists speculate are all on the brink of their lives and will one day explode into spectacular supernovae that people can enjoy with just the naked eye.
Our home, the Milky Way, contains billions of stars. It is estimated that a supernova is born every 50 to 100 years. But supernovae visible to the naked eye are extremely rare, and the most recent one observed and named was in 1604, when Kepler observed it with the naked eye. It is named after the famous scientist Johannes Kepler: "Kepler Supernova". After that, Kepler made more than a year of detailed observations of this natural phenomenon.
The remains of this outbreak event can be observed worldwide after more than 400 years. However, supernovae are not uncommon in the universe, because there are billions of galaxies here, each containing billions of stars. It is estimated that dozens of such stars explode every second, and some even explode while scientists study them.
There is one such example that occurred in 1987, in a galaxy that can be reached by artificial satellites: the Great Magellanic Galaxy. In just a few months of the eruption, the energy equivalent of one hundred million suns was burned. This explosion provides us with vital information about understanding the final stages of stellar evolution. Although the explosion of Betelgeuse is the most likely supernova event in the Milky Way to be observed with the naked eye, many other stars may also explode in the near future, revealing a dazzling astronomical show that reveals the final stages of star life.
The only question is, can we still see it with our own eyes. 550 light-years away, the supergiant Star Cephalos, the brightest star in the Scorpio fish hook pattern, can be seen. The star is red with the naked eye, and it's so massive that if you put it at the center of the solar system, it'll reach somewhere between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, engulfing all the rocky planets inside. Cardio II is part of a binary star system , the primary star is a red supergiant , and its companion star , Cardio B , is a smaller main sequence star. Despite being only 11 million years old, it is estimated that Shinjuku will almost certainly explode into a supernova in the next 100,000 years, just like Betelgeuse.
Theoretically, the explosion could happen tomorrow. Over the course of a few months, the supernova can be as bright as a full moon and can be seen during the day. In the constellation of Ship, 7500 light-years away, we can spot an unstable star. It's called the Ship's Base η, and as you can see in this incredible picture, it experienced a huge outburst thousands of years ago, but it wasn't until 150 years ago that we didn't see the glow of that burst in the air.
In this massive explosion, it released almost as much energy as a supernova explosion, becoming the second brightest star in our night sky, and then gradually disappearing to the point where it is now almost invisible to the naked eye. Somehow, however, the star survived this explosion and is now at the center of this hot cloud of expanding gas and dust. There are still many mysteries surrounding the ship's base η, but one thing astronomers are fairly sure of is that in the near future, it will explode in the last explosion, and its light will far exceed any of its previous explosions.
No one can say for sure when this spectacular event will happen, in fact, it may have happened because the light it emits will take about 7500 years to reach Earth. Supernovae with the naked eye are obviously very rare, but not only are Heart Capsule II, Betelgeuse, and Seamount II on the verge of becoming supernovae, but many other stars in the Milky Way are also approaching the end of their current lives, although they may not explode for thousands of years. The next supernova visible to the naked eye may not be observed until thousands of years later.
In the night sky we can easily observe a blue-and-white supergiant star, orion β (aka Betelgeuse, Rigel). It is located 860 light-years away, at the bottom of orion's leg. It produces about 120,000 times more energy than the Sun, and the star is much warmer than the Sun. There are two smaller companion stars hidden in the bright light β Orion, and they can only be seen with higher magnification telescopes. Although it is only estimated to have survived for about seven to nine million years, the supergiant is in the late stages of its stellar life. One day in the next few million years, the β Orion will disappear forever from the ranks of the most observable constellations in the night sky after illuminating the entire night sky.
460 light-years away there is a blue giant star α, Alpha Lupi (Alpha Lupi). The giant star is located in the constellation Lupus, which means wolf in Latin. Jackal-α, as the brightest star in this constellation, is also a symbol of the hind paws of the Jackal. It should be emphasized here that this star is a binary star system. It is the oldest of the stars belonging to the binary star system, estimated to be between 16 million and 20 million years old. Even at such an "advanced age", with 11 times the mass of the Sun, it has not yet ushered in the end. And scientists predict that the star will get bigger and brighter before it explodes in the next few million years.
250 light-years away we can find the brightest star in the constellation Virgo, Virgo-α (aka Horned Celes, Spica). It is also a binary system , but because its companions are so close that gravity pulls them into an egg shape instead of a spherical shape. According to calculations, the Virgo-α has only just entered the final stage of life, and it is only 12.5 million years old. But it has a mass of more than 10 times that of the Sun and is expected to transform into a supernova within a few million years.
The most recent visible supernova in the future could be a star called IK Pegasi. This strange binary system can sit in the constellation of Pegasus at the edge, which is also strange because the main star, called IK Pegasi, is more like the Sun in a phase of the main sequence star, yet its companion is a small and dense white dwarf, a remaining ancient star. This combination means that when IK Pegasi A evolves into a red giant at the end of its life cycle, the white dwarf, called IK PegasiB, will gradually devour its partner as it expands.
When a white dwarf accumulates enough mass in a red giant, it may collapse inside itself and explode into a rare supernova. However, some argue that if all this really happens, it will take millions of years before we see the final performance. Now we understand that the next six incredible astronomical events will one day provide an unparalleled display of light for the people of The Earth.
Can we look at one of these surprising events? Only time will tell. But even so, imagining this magnificent performance is amazing enough. If you enjoy this video and want to know more, click the "Like" button and subscribe to our channel, remember to keep an eye on the sky, because you never know that tonight is likely to be the night we see supernovae. Thank you for watching and look forward to seeing you next time.
Related knowledge
White dwarfs, also known as degenerate dwarfs, are remnants of a star core composed primarily of electron degeneraceous matter. White dwarfs have a very large density , and their mass is comparable to that of the Sun , while its volume is comparable to that of Earth. The faint brightness of white dwarfs comes from the emission of residual heat , and no fusion occurs in white dwarfs. The nearest known white dwarf in 1 is Sirius B, 8.6 light-years away, a smaller component of sirius binary stars. There are currently 8 white dwarfs in the 100 star systems closest to the Sun. The anomalously faint phenomenon of white dwarfs was first discovered in 1910. William Luton coined the name White Dwarf in 1922.
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Sirius, or α Canis Majoris A, α Canis A, is located in the constellation Canis Majoris. With an apparent magnitude of -1.46 , Sirius is the brightest star of the day except the Sun , but darker than Venus and Jupiter , and brighter than Mars most of the time. Sirius is a blue-and-white main sequence star with a white dwarf companion star that is about 8.6 light-years away from Earth. Among them, Sirius B, the companion star of the white dwarf, is the earliest white dwarf observed by humans, and it is also one of the most massive white dwarfs.
By: Aro, Corn Pitcher, Xu Tiantian Senior Fan, Harumi