How would the explosion affect us?
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00 Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse.
00:04 Saying its name three times
00:06 won't have the same effect
00:08 as a certain bioexorcist.
00:10 But it's still a sight to behold.
00:13 At about 950 times bigger than our Sun,
00:17 Betelgeuse is one of the biggest stars
00:19 in our Universe.
00:21 But that comes with a price.
00:23 Just like us,
00:25 stars have a life expectancy,
00:27 and Betelgeuse is no different.
00:29 It's a ticking time bomb
00:31 that's ready to go,
00:32 but we're not sure when.
00:34 So what if today was the day
00:37 Betelgeuse went out with a bang?
00:40 Betelgeuse is one of the closest stars to Earth
00:58 at a distance of only 650 light-years away.
01:02 This makes Betelgeuse a fan favorite
01:05 with professional and amateur astronomers alike.
01:09 Betelgeuse is a red giant star,
01:11 which means that when it reaches the end of its life,
01:14 it will explode in a spectacular supernova,
01:17 possibly even becoming a black hole in the process.
01:21 Let's imagine that today is the day
01:23 that Betelgeuse calls it quits,
01:25 and puts on one heck of a cosmic light show.
01:28 But before getting good seats
01:30 for Betelgeuse's grand finale,
01:33 what sort of damage could an exploding star
01:36 do to Earth?
01:37 Well, think of stars as being like nuclear power plants.
01:42 If they explode,
01:43 you're looking at a disaster of cosmic proportions.
01:47 Anything within 50 light-years of the exploding Betelgeuse
01:50 will suffer massive shock waves,
01:52 and be inundated with dust and radiation.
01:56 Will you survive the celestial eruption?
02:00 Actually, yeah.
02:01 I know, I know, it's weird, right?
02:03 This is "What If?"
02:04 so you're expecting everyone to die.
02:06 But get this,
02:08 everyone actually makes it out of this episode okay.
02:12 The only side effect we're going to feel
02:14 from Betelgeuse exploding is sadness.
02:17 It's going to be a bummer when we say goodbye
02:19 to the brightest star in the Orion constellation.
02:23 Down here on Earth,
02:25 we're going to see a very bright light in the sky.
02:28 It could even be visible during the day,
02:30 and bright enough to rival a full Moon at night.
02:34 Don't worry, it will be hard for you to miss,
02:36 as this light show is expected to go on for quite some time.
02:41 This is because Betelgeuse's light
02:43 travels 650 light-years
02:46 from its place in the Universe to ours.
02:49 The event will be breathtaking to behold,
02:51 but Betelgeuse will be wrapping up its farewell tour.
02:55 And that's it.
02:57 It's been a pleasure, Betelgeuse.
02:59 We're about ten times too far away
03:02 to feel any repercussions from the explosion.
03:05 If we weren't, well,
03:06 that would be another story.
03:09 Okay, okay, fine, we know what you want.
03:12 This is "What If?" after all.
03:13 Bring on the destruction.
03:16 If we were too close to Betelgeuse when it explodes,
03:19 our atmosphere and cells
03:21 would be fried by the radiation and gamma waves.
03:25 When you're exposed to high doses of radiation,
03:28 it can burn and scar your skin,
03:30 cause genetic mutations,
03:32 and can ultimately be lethal.
03:36 Gamma radiation in particular is incredibly powerful.
03:40 It's pure energy,
03:41 even more intense than light itself.
03:44 If Betelgeuse were closer to Earth,
03:46 it would be a literal and figurative lights out for all of us.
03:50 Humans, animals, plants, you name it,
03:53 we would all be toasted.
03:55 An explosion that big,
03:57 from a star that immense,
03:59 would destroy life on Earth in seconds
04:02 once the radiation hits us,
04:04 even though the process of going supernova takes years.
04:08 And even if we did have interplanetary ships
04:11 to evacuate in time,
04:13 Betelgeuse is so huge
04:15 that there wouldn't be a planet in our Solar System
04:18 that's safe from the explosion.
04:21 There.
04:22 Are you happy?
04:23 Everyone dies.
04:24 Thankfully, we're much too far from Betelgeuse
04:27 to have any direct,
04:28 observable,
04:29 or harmful effects from the explosion.
04:32 Betelgeuse is going to explode,
04:34 but it will likely take another 100,000 years.
04:38 When it does go,
04:39 astronomers are going to have to rethink
04:41 the structure of Orion.
04:43 It may not leave a massive hole in the Universe,
04:46 but it will leave a hole in our hearts.
04:49 But we're not out of the cosmic woods yet.
04:52 What if another devastating cosmic event
04:55 decided to make an appearance?
04:57 What if a quasar entered our Solar System?
05:01 Well, that's a story for another WHAT IF.
05:05 (upbeat music)
05:08 [Music]