What If Betelgeuse Exploded Right Now?

WHAT IF

8/16/2023

How would the explosion affect us?

Transcript

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]

What If Betelgeuse Exploded Right Now?

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