Come on Eta Carinae… Explode Already!
Written by Fraser Cain
The death watch is on for Eta Carinae, a relatively nearby massive star that's set to explode as a supernova. The Chandra X-Ray Observatory delivered this beautiful photograph of the star and its surrounding nebula; layers of material that it's already shed in its death throes.
When it does explode, Eta Carinae is going to be spectacular. It's thought to have between 100 and 150 times the mass of our own Sun. Not only that, it's a mere 7,500 light years away. Its brilliant display of fireworks will rival the light of the full Moon, and should be easy to see in the middle of the day; you could read a book by it at night.
So when's it going to blow? Well, astronomers disagree on this point. The majority think that Eta Carinae has one final stage to go through, called a Wolf-Rayet star. Others think it's already passed this stage, and it's ready to go. It could explode tomorrow, or it could be 100,000 years away. Still, that's a blink of the eye cosmically speaking.
Original Source: Chandra News Release
Filed under: Chandra
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April 20th, 2008 at 10:41 am
[...] of the Sun. And as star size estimates go, that's pretty accurate. And one interesting side note: Eta Carinae should explode pretty soon as one of the most spectacular supernovae humans have ever seen. But [...]
May 18th, 2008 at 4:55 pm
WOW…this is some great information. I hope I get to see the great fireworks of the explosion in my lifetime. But since the light would reach us 7,500 light years away, could there be any harmful rays too?
July 13th, 2008 at 10:40 pm
its axis is 45 degrees away from earth so it would not affect life
November 3rd, 2008 at 11:44 pm
[...] one interesting side note: Eta Carinae should explode pretty soon as one of the most spectacular supernovae humans have ever seen. But [...]
December 3rd, 2008 at 7:25 pm
eat a penis
December 5th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
i hope this explodes in my lifetime two, but who know this might just destroy other planets around it and if their is any life there they will all be screaming right now!!
February 11th, 2009 at 8:14 am
I don't think the nebula is very friendly… so no screaming there.
February 14th, 2009 at 6:42 pm
I cant wait for it to explode. Being able to read a book by it at night is amazing. But it could havve exploded right now but the light will take years to reach us.
February 19th, 2009 at 1:36 pm
Eta Carinae went supernova 7499 years ago. Get ready!
March 19th, 2009 at 2:52 pm
If it would explode today, prepare for a waittime aprox…. 7500 light years..
April 15th, 2009 at 10:36 am
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