Earth May Get Second Sun in 2012?

By on January 21, 2011 in News 39

Two SunsMan, I always thought this would happen to Jupiter in 2010. Claire Connelly had a different sci-fi film in mind, as she writes on News.com.au:

It’s the ultimate experience for Star Wars fans — staring forlornly off into the distance as twin suns sink into the horizon.

Yet it’s not just a figment of George Lucas’s imagination — twin suns are real. And here’s the big news – they could be coming to Earth.

Yes, any day now we see a second sun light up the sky, if only for a matter of weeks.

The infamous red super-giant star in Orion’s nebula — Betelgeuse — is predicted to go gangbusters and the impending super-nova may reach Earth before 2012, and when it does, all of our wildest Star Wars dreams will come true.

The second biggest star in the Orion constellation is losing mass, a typical indication that a gravitation collapse is occurring. When that happens, we’ll get our second sun, according to Dr Brad Carter, Senior Lecturer of Physics at the University of Southern Queensland.

Read More on News.com.au

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  • justagirl

    also, next month, mars will appear to be the size of a full moon.

    • Tralphaz

      That’s an urban legend.

      • justagirl

        yes. i know…

      • Kurdt Skjærgaardsø

        We thank you for your assistance, Captain Obvious.

        • Captain Obvious

          Marshmallows are sticky.

    • Beneldon

      not until there’s a month with 5 Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays!

      • justagirl

        that’s not too far off. i hope it’s a clear night.

  • justagirl

    also, next month, mars will appear to be the size of a full moon.

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  • Tralphaz

    That’s an urban legend.

  • Oneloveinus
    • that1guy

      DAMMIT!!

  • Oneloveinus
  • justagirl

    yes. i know…

  • Kurdt Skjærgaardsø

    We thank you for your assistance, Captain Obvious.

  • http://twitter.com/justinlwerner Justin L Werner

    How did the black monoliths get all the way out to Belegeuse?

  • http://twitter.com/justinlwerner Justin L Werner

    How did the black monoliths get all the way out to Belegeuse?

  • Tacoface

    Betelgeuse is VERY far away… so all visual indications of it losing mass have already happened hundreds of years ago. If it “explodes” in 2012, it actually already happened. Idiocy.

  • Tacoface

    Betelgeuse is VERY far away… so all visual indications of it losing mass have already happened hundreds of years ago. If it “explodes” in 2012, it actually already happened. Idiocy.

  • Haystack

    “The bad news is, it could also happen in a million years. But who’s counting?”

    So I guess the headline is *technically* true. *grins*

  • Haystack

    “The bad news is, it could also happen in a million years. But who’s counting?”

    So I guess the headline is *technically* true. *grins*

  • that1guy

    DAMMIT!!

  • Captain Obvious

    Marshmallows are sticky.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Chris-Wells/1691126578 Chris Wells

    No idiots…that star is 640 light years away…even if it exploded today, we won’t see it for another 640 years, the light from the explosion will only travel at the speed of light.

    • Wnbpl

      Yes but the measurements of it losing mass also happened 640 light year ago… which means they are predicting the star has already gone supernova and the event light will get “soon”. Of course all speculation.

    • danielconoroloughlin

      Thank you. I was just going to say that. This is the dumbest article ever. You shouldn’t write things like this if you have absolutely no understanding of astronomy.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Chris-Wells/1691126578 Chris Wells

    No idiots…that star is 640 light years away…even if it exploded today, we won’t see it for another 640 years, the light from the explosion will only travel at the speed of light.

  • Wnbpl

    Yes but the measurements of it losing mass also happened 640 light year ago… which means they are predicting the star has already gone supernova and the event light will get “soon”. Of course all speculation.

  • Anony

    Even if we do see Betelgeuse go supernova soon, it won’t appear bright enough to be counted as a “second sun,” and won’t affect our weather at all like an actual second sun would. Sorry.

    On the other hand, binary star systems do seem to be the majority in our galaxy, so there are actually planets that have two suns. Whether or not they have life on them is up for debate…

  • Anony

    Even if we do see Betelgeuse go supernova soon, it won’t appear bright enough to be counted as a “second sun,” and won’t affect our weather at all like an actual second sun would. Sorry.

    On the other hand, binary star systems do seem to be the majority in our galaxy, so there are actually planets that have two suns. Whether or not they have life on them is up for debate…

  • Andrew

    “all of our wildest Star Wars dreams will come true.”

    So we’ll get lightsabers?

  • Andrew

    “all of our wildest Star Wars dreams will come true.”

    So we’ll get lightsabers?

  • Anonymous

    Thank you. I was just going to say that. This is the dumbest article ever. You shouldn’t write things like this if you have absolutely no understanding of astronomy.

  • slam

    Why are you spreading that nonsense, first of all it might not happen for a million years, second it wouldn’t be nearly as bright as the sun, more like the moon at about 100,000th as bright as the sun.

  • slam

    Why are you spreading that nonsense, first of all it might not happen for a million years, second it wouldn’t be nearly as bright as the sun, more like the moon at about 100,000th as bright as the sun.

  • Bjoe427

    This is probably a cover story for nibiru,that way they can cover there but for not warning the public.,just incase some survive 2012.

  • Bjoe427

    This is probably a cover story for nibiru,that way they can cover there but for not warning the public.,just incase some survive 2012.

  • Beneldon

    not until there’s a month with 5 Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays!

  • justagirl

    that’s not too far off. i hope it’s a clear night.