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Ask Ethan #40: What are Supernova Impostors? (Synopsis) [Starts With A Bang]
“If you are a dreamer come in
If you are a dreamer a wisher a liar
A hoper a pray-er a magic-bean-buyer
If youre a pretender com sit by my fire
For we have some flax golden tales to spin
Come in!
Come in!” -Shel Silverstein
There are fakers out there of all types, to be sure. But one of the most unexpected ones is the ultimate cosmic faker: a giant star that erupts and pretends to be a supernova!
Image credit: Celestia, by author / user HeNRyKus, with η Carinae at left and Canopus at right.
Just because something brightens tremendously to become visible to the eye, perhaps even outshining all the other stars in its vicinity, doesn’t mean it has to be a supernova, and it doesn’t mean it needs to destroy its progenitor star, either. Sometimes, you get a supernova impostor!
Image credit: Nathan Smith (University of California, Berkeley), and NASA.
What’s the deal with these cosmic charlatans? Go read the whole story and find out!
Source: http://scienceblogs.com/startswithabang/2014/06/06/ask-ethan-40-what-are-supernova-impostors-synopsis/
