What’s a supernova, you might ask?
According to NASA, it’s large explosion of a star that occurs in one of two ways.
In binary star systems, one steals matter from another, leading to an explosion when the one accumulates too much matter.
“The second type of supernova occurs at the end of a single star’s lifetime,” NASA states on its website. “As the star runs out of nuclear fuel, some of its mass flows into its core. Eventually, the core is so heavy that it cannot withstand its own gravitational force.”
This morning, CBC News posted a story by science journalist Nicole Mortillaro suggesting that a star in the Orion constellation—Betelgeuse—could eventually go supernova.
This star is often referred to as the shoulder of the Orion and it has dimmed considerably over the past two months. The constellation is named after the Greek huntsman god, Orion.
Supernovas don’t happen every day. According to Mortillaro, an explosion of Betelgeuse could happen anywhere from today to 100,000 years from now. And keep in mind that it’s 650 light years away from Earth.
But if a supernova happens over the Christmas holidays, it will give the world’s journalists something to talk about during one of the quietest news periods of the year.
