Earth could get a second sun

http://www.conservativerefocus.com/b...-with-no-night


Quote:




Dr. Brad Carter, Senior Lecturer of Physics at the University of Southern Queensland, outlined the scenario to news.com.au. Betelgeuse, one of the night sky's brightest stars, is losing mass, indicating it is collapsing. It could run out of fuel and go super-nova at any time.

When that happens, for at least a few weeks, we'd see a second sun, Carter says. There may also be no night during that timeframe.




If we see it between now and 600 years from now it will have already happend :D|||That would look pretty cool. On the other hand the switch between day and night is necessary to maintain the average temperature on the surface.

Hopefully it won't me in during my lifetime.

EDIT: On the other other hand, wikipedia says it's safe, so I'll go with them.|||I've been waiting for that to happen for at least 20 years now!|||It probably already happened, we are just too far away to see it in time! |||

That would be pretty awesome, but it could mess up the cycles of all sorts of wildlife. Nature will go bonkers, just like during an eclypse.|||The no night thing would suck. I'm sure it'd happen during summer, so NY would be even hotter and sweatier and nastier. But I'll keep my fingers crossed it happens in the next couple of days because I AM SO TIRED OF THIS WINTER|||I had that exact image in mind when I read this, Rob. I always wondered what it would look like if we had more suns or planets close to earth.|||Quote:








The no night thing would suck. I'm sure it'd happen during summer, so NY would be even hotter and sweatier and nastier. But I'll keep my fingers crossed it happens in the next couple of days because I AM SO TIRED OF THIS WINTER




I concur. The no night thing would only happen if it happens during (northern hemisphere) winter. When we have summer, it would be on the same side as the sun, which would lead to a sky such as the one posted by Rob. |||Since supernovae have a tendency to blast the nearby cosmos with sterilizing (as in, wiping life off the face of the Earth, not sterilized humans) radiation, I rather hope it waits until after I'm gone.|||It may be too far away for the rads to hit us, MV. Just because it's bright doesn't mean it's close ;)

This would be interested to witness, though, and see how things on Earth are affected. I'm guessing that we will see it on Dec. 21, 2012. Anyone else? :P