I think this is exceptionally cool, but the consequences are like completely un-knowable. From mid-autumn through the end of spring I can see Orion staring down at my house, this time of year he's behind my neighbor's oak tree.
2 suns?
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well the fact that it is in a constellation we all know about means it is in the night sky of the northern hemisphere. It is like the only constellation I can recognize-- when I moved to a place where you could see the stars. Orion, from where I live, is huge and you can't miss it.
I know I'll be able to see it, but that might be about where I am compared to where you are. Orion is still the only constellation that I recognize-- that's how big it is when it is visible for me. I'm guessing maybe it is out during the day (relative to me) when I can't see it-- summer mostly. Maybe I'm just not looking for it.
Did you ever find Orion? The other night I got out of my car and looked up and it was stairing down at me clear as day and gigantic.
Earth could have two suns?
2011-02-03
Earth could have two suns when Betelgeuse, the second largest star in the constellation Orion, explodes.
Crack out the SPF 8,000. Scientists are predicting a second sun could illuminate the Earth for a period of about two weeks.
I’m going to repeat that for anyone that temporarily lost consciousness. The Earth. Could soon have. Two freaking suns.
This mind-blowing event could happen as soon as this year when Betelgeuse, one of the brightest stars in the sky, explodes – causing enough brightness to illuminate both day and night.
The only real issue of debate is over when exactly this event will happen. Some scientists say the blast might have already happened and we just haven’t seen the light rays yet.
Brad Carter, senior lecturer of physics at the University of southern Queensland in Australia, told the London Telegraph that the blast could happen in the next few months . . . or any time over the next million years. Talk about an open-ended timeframe.
Though the bright red supergiant Betelgeuse is a frightening 100,000 times brighter than our sun, it remains a comfortable 640-light years away.
Though a lot of questions come to mind – namely whether we should start buying stocks in Oakleys or beach towels – experts claim the event should not otherwise affect our planet.
Earth will simply have a front-row seat for what promises to be one of the most incredible light shows in our planet’s history, reports the Daily Mail.