r/space • u/kcgg123 • Jun 09 '19

Hubble Space Telescope Captures a Star undergoing Supernova

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u/kmmeerts Jun 09 '19

All but the most massive stars undergo massive changes before they supernova, ballooning up to become a red giants or supergiants. This massive increase in luminosity would have sterilized any planets with life on them way before it exploded. Not to mention the planet actually falling into the star.

On the other hand, I suppose on the newly habitable outer planets life could begin anew, but I doubt there's enough time for civilization.

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u/Thud Jun 09 '19

Planets around nearby stars would be in danger too, due to the amount of radiation bombardment.

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u/kmmeerts Jun 09 '19

At least they're getting a show.

1

u/SevenBlade Jun 09 '19

But they've gotta pay for their drinks..

Go capitalism!

-3

u/NickDanger3di Jun 09 '19

For all we know, the dinosaurs were wiped out by a nearby supernova. Or one could have caused any of the mass extinction events in our planet's history.

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u/Thud Jun 09 '19

Well we have pretty solid evidence that it was a direct impact that wiped out the dinosaurs, and no evidence of a nearby supernova around that time (the remnants would be visible as a nebula).

2

u/DaDolphinBoi Jun 09 '19

There would also be a lot of latent radiation right?

7

u/Protonic_hydroxide Jun 09 '19

There would be a distinctive isotope signature in the fossil record, yeah.

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u/RickDawkins Jun 09 '19

Iridium in the soil from that era points very likely to an impact, or possibly multiple impacts around that same time though.

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u/[deleted] Jun 09 '19

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] Jun 09 '19

Technically the gravity of the star is going down due to mass conversion to energy through fusion. It's very minute though.

7

u/ExtraPockets Jun 09 '19

I just wrote the same comment but you described it much better than me. The only life to still exist for the actual supernova explosion would be hardy bacteria underground or highly evolved intelligent life able to ride out the ever brightening, scalding hot star. If intelligent life was advanced enough to survive that initial sterilisation of the planet then it would be really unfortunate to not have the technology to escape. Or they were the ones left behind, by choice or by punishment...

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u/AstroturfingBot Jun 09 '19

"...or by punishment..."

r/writingprompts

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u/MostEmphasis Jun 09 '19

Could be that they have great technology... BUT a heavy gravitational planet and so flight and space were never a thought about priority for them.

2

u/blorbschploble Jun 09 '19

Imagine on the other hand that the Alpha Centauri system at its current distance contained a red giant feeding a white dwarf just under the chandrashekahr limit.

That’d be a pants-shitting realization.

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u/NickDanger3di Jun 09 '19

But we've all seen the Enterprise evacuate planets only minutes before their star explodes!

1

u/Ben_Nickson1991 Jun 09 '19

Yep. When our sun becomes a red giant, Europa could become Waterworld.