I have a simple question, but I guess the answer is not that simple. So I am asking a direct question.

What would the effect of the supernova Eta Carinae on Earth when it finally blows up and falls into a black hole or a really dense pulsar.

I ask, since it is only 7500 light years away from Earth. That too close in my opinion. I also think (I think, it is not even a theory) that Eta Carinae might already be gone, but we are yet to see it.

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Earthquake plots

Topic We are safe from Eta Carinae
Topic eta carinae explosion preview
Topic Eta Carinae
Topic Eta Carinae

NASA Ask an Astrophysicist

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Thanks for the topics, I will look at them tomorrow. But I wonder if there is any current monitoring on Eta Carinae at current time.

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Earthquake plots

What do you mean by "monitoring"?

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As above, so below

Well yes Eta Carinae would be one of the most watched objects in the sky...and not just us amature astronomers. On the highlands of Chile and the South African SALT observatory have time booked regularly to keep us in the know re this object.

Anything that might give a notice if the Eta Carinae goes on the final stages before the estimates that scientists have estimated. I know that they are giving it 10.000 to 20.000 years, but the universe is full of surprises.

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Earthquake plots

Even if it has, it would take 7,500 years for any emissions to reach earth. There's a lot that could happen in that time. Personally, I'm not too worried about how it will affect me...

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Red

"Go to Blue Alert!"
"Is that really necessary Sir? It will mean changing the bulb..."

Do you mean some sort of intensive hourly scrutiny so that we aren't more than 60 minutes away from noticing the big change? That seems like a waste of instruments, merely to not be surprised.

What period would suit you and astronomers' budgets better? Weekly? Monthly? That sort of periodic measurements are probably happening, so they don't miss too much of the educational variations.

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Unless it went 7,499 years and 364 days ago in which case we will be feeling the effects tomorrow, just because it will take a long time for the effects to reach us doesn't mean we can discount them unless we are sure that nothing has happened in the time it took the light we are seeing now to reach us.

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Girl: Mister Darwin! The stupid people are breeding and taking over the planet!
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I am thinking more of a automatic system that can monitor near by and deep space objects. There is a monitoring system of near by asteroids, but that is about it I think.

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Earthquake plots

Our first clue that Eta Carinae has gone supernova will be a massive number of neutrinos arriving at our detectors in a matter of seconds. We might actually detect a gravity wave (at last!?!) at about the same time. This will give us several hours before the light show begins.

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Microsoft is over if you want it.

The bar has been lowered for the promotion of ATM ideas; the bar for the acceptance of ATM ideas must remain high.

Exactly. There'll be no unwarranted surprise. It'll be a much-discussed topic in the Astronomy section of BAUT, an article in Universe Today, a BA Blog entry. If there'll be anything for the masses to see, it will be mentioned on all the TV and radio news channels. It'll be Slashdotted. It will be Digg'd.

jonfr, how do you expect to not hear the news that something interesting is happening with Eta Carinae?

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I personally will go 'Wow, that is really bright'

There's another signal before the prompt neutrino burst, too. When iron begins to accumulate in the core, the countdown to supernova is fairly short, depending upon who's model you choose...a little over a year to ~ 10 years...but the progression to ever heavier nuclei as fusion fuel has a direct consequence. The star becomes leakier and leakier in losing energy through neutrino emission...like a bucket being filled with water as you puncture holes in the wall with a screwdriver. This neutrino "leakiness" is orders of magnitude above the humdrum levels of H-He fusion....and can cause(like the Homestake mine) inverse beta decays...a sudden increase in trace isotopic abundances, just before she blows. Going to require an exquisitely sensitive spectroscope to monitor the correct species, but the present SN classification studies should help select some winners in type 1a's and type 2's "R Corona Borealis, Infrared Enigma" ...discussed this at Williams College, AAPT/joint APS Meeting, May 1993... In R Cor stars, the soot cloud should show some spectroscopic changes....pete.

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A third rate theory forbids
A second rate theory explains after the fact
A first rate theory predicts...A. Lomonosov

I'd be surprised if it was detectable in the parts of the cloud that can be seen. I'd expect most of this to be happening in the inner most parts of the cloud, and possibly even there might not be measurable with in situ instruments (my gut feeling, not based on calculation). I'd be curious to see if you have any numbers for quantities of strange isotopes to be expected.

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Forming opinions as we speak

My understanding of Eta Carinae is that it is too massive to collect iron. When it hits the carbon stage, it will destabilize and blow itself up and nothing will be left behind.

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Keeper of the Jabberwock

OK, but the problem here is that there is a valid reason for monitoring asteroids. (1) We may find one that is going to hit us, and, quite importantly, (2) we might be able to do something to prevent it.

With something like a supernova explosion, there's nothing we can do about it. So why monitor it? Just suppose, for the sake of argument, that alpha centauri suddenly became a hypernova by some process we don't understand. Or suppose that a black hole that we don't know about comes through and eats up the solar system. There isn't anything we can do about it.

In a case like Eta Carinae, there might be use in observing it to get a better scientific understanding of the evolution of stars. But I have a feeling that you want to monitor it as a threat. But there's no point in monitoring threats like that.

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As above, so below

If Eta Carinae is going to supernova, it already has.


The check's in the mail.

Would me neat to see a supernova. But really. We are just a blink in cosmic time.

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Fields of Space

LOGIC, n.
The art of thinking and reasoning in strict accordance with the limitations and incapacities of the human misunderstanding.

In the Year 2525.

"One small step for (a) man. One giant leap for mankind".

If an astronaut doesn't need good grammar, niether does you.

Host of Seraphim

Given how bright that might actually be, and the potential for all kinds of things to come our way which might blind us, scortch us, give us a very nasty sunburn, damage our DNA, etc., I think I'll wait it out in a certain bar that I know that's about 45 feet underground, protected by solid rock.

They make a terrific pizza in a wood-fired oven, and have backup lamp lighting in case the power goes out (which it probably will).

And an old well, which, combined with a simple filter and some bleach should render the water quite potable.

And a rather large, heavy ancient door to the entrance which should be enough to let others scrambling to get in know that the place is closed.

I think the owner would share it with the first thirty who got there. After that, it's each man for himself. Good thing I'm good friends with the owner!

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Perception isn't reality. It's merely an abstraction thereof, and quite often not a very good one at that.

I am human. Fully human.