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Monday, June 21, 2021

5 Better Candidates Than Betelgeuse For Our Galaxy’s Next Supernova

Betelgeuse, a nearby red supergiant, will someday explode.




One of our brightest stars, its recent dimming portends an eventual supernova.




A “stellar burp” ejected matter, causing Betelgeuse’s temporary, routine faintening.





Meanwhile, these 5 Milky Way candidates could easily go supernova first.




1.) Antares. Closer and larger than Betelgeuse, massive Antares is ~11-15 million years old.



This red supergiant should explode within ~10,000 years.



2.) Eta Carinae. This famous “supernova impostor” has brightened, historically, numerous times.



Its remaining lifetime could span centuries, or merely years.



3.) WR 102. Wolf-Rayet stars represent the final evolutionary phases for massive stars expelling their outer layers.



WR 102 is the hottest: 210,000 K, foreshadowing a stellar cataclysm.



4.) WR 142. The second-hottest Wolf-Rayet star, WR 142’s demise is inevitable.



Similarly hot, depleted, and oxygen-rich Wolf-Rayet candidates include WR 30a and WR 93b.



5.) T Coronae Borealis. White dwarfs siphoning mass from red giants can trigger type Ia supernovae.



T Coronae Borealis’s white dwarf now approaches this critical mass threshold.



Similarly, 5 common “next supernova” candidates are relatively unlikely.



V Sagittae, IK Pegasi B, γ Velorum, WR 124, and ρ Cassiopeiae all require additional steps.



Our next supernova might deliver a multi-messenger trifecta:




  • neutrinos,

  • gravitational waves,

  • and light,



all together.





Mostly Mute Monday tells an astronomical story in images, visuals, and no more than 200 words. Talk less; smile more.






#News | https://sciencespies.com/news/5-better-candidates-than-betelgeuse-for-our-galaxys-next-supernova/

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