I'm not sure that there has been a successful attempt at creating a telescope that uses visible light and sees through interstellar dust. However, Walter Baade discovered a few "windows" that are basically areas that are clear of dust. If you use a telescope in these areas, you can see things that at any other angle would be blocked by dust. It's just a matter of knowing the right place to look.
I can't find any information on this specifically. NASA has basically said that this will not happen anytime soon. All the stars within this space are not nearly aged enough. I could give you an estimate, but all I can say is it won't happen in millions of years AT LEAST.
Great question! Actually, Betelgeuse, one of the stars in the Orion constellation, is being watched because it has a high possibility of becoming a Type II Supernova. If this were to happen, it could cause a damaging increase to the amount of radiation on Earth due to the gamma ray bursts. This could happen anytime in the next 2 million to 4 million years.
I would like to add that the odds of the gamma rays actually reaching Earth from this star's explosion is not a guarantee, and since Betelgeuse is hundreds of lightyears away, it is very unlikely that it will have effects on Earth.
The closest star that has been observed going supernova is SN 1987A. This took place in the Large Magellanic Cloud, only 168,ooo lightyears away. People in the southern hemisphere could actually see it without telescopes!
Have astronomers tried to crate a telescope that is strong enough to view through all the interstellar dust?
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure that there has been a successful attempt at creating a telescope that uses visible light and sees through interstellar dust. However, Walter Baade discovered a few "windows" that are basically areas that are clear of dust. If you use a telescope in these areas, you can see things that at any other angle would be blocked by dust. It's just a matter of knowing the right place to look.
DeleteHow long will it take for a supernova to occur within 50 light-years from Earth (and thus wipe out life on Earth)?
ReplyDeleteI can't find any information on this specifically. NASA has basically said that this will not happen anytime soon. All the stars within this space are not nearly aged enough. I could give you an estimate, but all I can say is it won't happen in millions of years AT LEAST.
DeleteAre there any current stars that pose a threat of going supernova within a close enough vicinity to actually have effects here on Earth?
ReplyDeleteGreat question! Actually, Betelgeuse, one of the stars in the Orion constellation, is being watched because it has a high possibility of becoming a Type II Supernova. If this were to happen, it could cause a damaging increase to the amount of radiation on Earth due to the gamma ray bursts. This could happen anytime in the next 2 million to 4 million years.
DeleteI would like to add that the odds of the gamma rays actually reaching Earth from this star's explosion is not a guarantee, and since Betelgeuse is hundreds of lightyears away, it is very unlikely that it will have effects on Earth.
DeleteWhat is the closest star to the earth that has gone supernova?
ReplyDeleteThe closest star that has been observed going supernova is SN 1987A. This took place in the Large Magellanic Cloud, only 168,ooo lightyears away. People in the southern hemisphere could actually see it without telescopes!
DeleteIs there a telescope powerful enough to see all of the interstellar dust?
ReplyDeleteCan Star ever skip a step in the death process?
ReplyDeleteWhy does the degenerate neutron stop the star from being destroyed?
ReplyDelete