The anonymous reader is wrong. A supernova would be accompanied by a large amount of shockwaves through the star, and a large amount of pressure waves. There would be no sound, in the sense that there would be no neurological interpretations of these phenomena, but they would still happen.
The question for me is how long does the bad stuff last?. If the answer if less than 12 hours then I will be hoping it happens just after Betelgeuse drops below the horizon at 144 degrees east.
First up, let me preface this by saying a supernova happening at six hundred light years is probably no big deal. Probably. However, there is some evidence that gamma ray bursts might be the product of a sufficiently massive star dying and producing a black hole, in which case we could be in trouble if we were struck be such an event at close range.
But having the bulk of the earth between yourself and such an event would not save you. Remember that we're talking about enough energy here
If this were a common occurrence for the earth, it is very likely we would not be here at all.
Maybe it is very unlikely. Us being here does not prove otherwise. Maybe the earth is destroyed every thousand years, on average. In a miniscule percentage of alternative universes, people notice the planet has been safe for millions of years.
In the other worlds, nobody thinks anything.
Yes (Score:5, Informative)
The anonymous reader is wrong. A supernova would be accompanied by a large amount of shockwaves through the star, and a large amount of pressure waves. There would be no sound, in the sense that there would be no neurological interpretations of these phenomena, but they would still happen.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:5, Informative)
Won't matter much.
First up, let me preface this by saying a supernova happening at six hundred light years is probably no big deal. Probably. However, there is some evidence that gamma ray bursts might be the product of a sufficiently massive star dying and producing a black hole, in which case we could be in trouble if we were struck be such an event at close range.
But having the bulk of the earth between yourself and such an event would not save you. Remember that we're talking about enough energy here
Anthropomorphic principle (Score:2)
If this were a common occurrence for the earth, it is very likely we would not be here at all.
Maybe it is very unlikely. Us being here does not prove otherwise. Maybe the earth is destroyed every thousand years, on average.
In a miniscule percentage of alternative universes, people notice the planet has been safe for millions of years.
In the other worlds, nobody thinks anything.
ANTHROPIC principle (Score:4, Informative)
It's called the antrhopic principle [wikipedia.org].
The anthropomorphic [google.com] principle would be that the stars are smiling on us...
Re:ANTHROPIC principle (Score:3, Insightful)
It's called the antrhopic principle [wikipedia.org].
At least you got it right in the link and subject. That's what really matters.
The mistakes we most regret are the ones we make while correcting others. I know; I've done it too.