# Betelgeuse becoming a black hole. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 23, 2011, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/betelgeuse-becoming-a-black-hole/568704 "2011-01-23T22:31:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/betelgeuse-becoming-a-black-hole/568704/21 "2011-01-24T17:30:05Z")
There goes the neighborhood! (Ba-dum-tish) šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/betelgeuse-becoming-a-black-hole/568704/22 "2011-01-24T18:17:44Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > Surely that would just make the solar system larger and greener. The marigolds will be hardy, too. But itā€™s not looking good for the local rabbit population. (Anyone else see that as a nine-year-old expecting mutant marigolds and actual monsters? Rip-Off!!!) ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/betelgeuse-becoming-a-black-hole/568704/23 "2011-01-24T19:28:28Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > But if Betelgeuse is (wioll haven be) a black hole, wonā€™t that be mentioned (mayanā€™t mentionan on-when) when Ford, Zaphod, Arthur, and Trillian are at the Restaurant at the End of the Universe? Fine, thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/betelgeuse-becoming-a-black-hole/568704/24 "2011-01-24T22:21:21Z")
How does one pronounce the name of this star? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/betelgeuse-becoming-a-black-hole/568704/25 "2011-01-24T22:59:11Z")
The standard English pronunciation is ā€œbeetle juiceā€. I donā€™t know how close that is to the original Arabic, but of course thatā€™s only relevant to Arabic-speakers. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/betelgeuse-becoming-a-black-hole/568704/26 "2011-01-25T03:50:05Z")
> [@fuzzypickles](#): > > Whatever you do, donā€™t say its name three times. Betelgeuse Betelgeuse Betelgeuse ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/betelgeuse-becoming-a-black-hole/568704/27 "2011-01-25T15:50:03Z")
Well now I know. Had no idea where Beetle Juice came from. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/betelgeuse-becoming-a-black-hole/568704/28 "2011-01-25T16:07:07Z")
I was wondering how a guy, an ordinary Joe like myself, might get a little action around here? ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/betelgeuse-becoming-a-black-hole/568704/29 "2011-01-25T16:35:48Z")
Nice fucking message board! _honk_ _honk_! ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/betelgeuse-becoming-a-black-hole/568704/30 "2011-01-25T16:38:12Z")
ā€œHonk Honk! Itā€™s the Bonk!ā€ ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2011, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/betelgeuse-becoming-a-black-hole/568704/31 "2011-04-01T20:46:20Z")
> [@appleciders](#): > > Minutes or less. The black hole will be formed because of the violent supernova explosion, which happens extremely quickly. \ The supernova explosion wonā€™t _cause_ the black hole. Both the supernova explosion, and the black hole, will be caused by the rapid collapse of the starā€™s core after it starts fusing iron into heavier elements. (The coreā€™s held up primarily by radiation pressure from its thermonuclear activity, but iron fusion is endothermic, so when it commences the coreā€™s energy production basically vanishes.) \ ---
**Author:** ![cmosdes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@cmosdes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmosdes)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2011, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/betelgeuse-becoming-a-black-hole/568704/32 "2011-04-01T22:37:36Z")
I have a star questionā€¦ How many stars did it take to form the Earth? How many stars had to go supernova to form all the elements found on Earth? Would 1 star be enough? How about all the objects in our solar system? ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2011, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/betelgeuse-becoming-a-black-hole/568704/33 "2011-04-01T23:10:40Z")
Not directly applicable to Betelgeuse since Kepler isnā€™t pointing that way, but while looking for signs of occultation by planets, the Kepler observatory has been able to monitor subtle recurrent brightness changes in some of the red giants in itā€™s field of view. On the basis of this astronomers are now able to say which of those stars have begun to burn helium in their cores and which havenā€™t: > **[Kepler Spacecraft Takes A Look Inside Red Giant Stars](https://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Kepler_Spacecraft_Takes_A_Look_Inside_Red_Giant_Stars_999.html)** > > Ames IA (SPX) Mar 31, 2011 - > NASA's Kepler Mission is giving astronomers such a clear view of changes in star brightness that they can now see clues about what's happening inside red giant stars. > > No one anticipated seein So maybe a similar spacecraft dedicated to Betelgeuse could determine if, say, it was in itā€™s last century or less of life. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2011, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/betelgeuse-becoming-a-black-hole/568704/34 "2011-04-02T20:04:02Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Betelgeuseā€™s axis isnā€™t pointed _right_ at us, since we can see variations in the total brightness associated with the starā€™s rotation. I donā€™t remember off the top of my head what its inclination is, though. > > The only influence would be that Orion would look funny without his shoulder. The gravity of a black hole is no different than the gravity of any other object with the same mass and at the same distance. Even if the Sun were to somehow turn into a black hole, it wouldnā€™t make any difference gravitationally (though of course weā€™d miss the sunlight). The only difference between a black hole and a ā€œnormalā€ object, gravitationally, is that you can get much closer to a black hole than to any other object of the same mass. Ok, but doesnā€™t a star lose mass when it goes nova? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2011, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/betelgeuse-becoming-a-black-hole/568704/35 "2011-04-02T22:14:25Z")
> [@](#): > > Ok, but doesnā€™t a star lose mass when it goes nova? Yes, most of it gets blasted away in the explosion. Iā€™m not sure what your question is beyond that, though. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2011, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/betelgeuse-becoming-a-black-hole/568704/36 "2011-04-02T22:28:33Z")
Ok, but the gravitational effect would change as a result then? Iā€™m just trying to clear up the posts. I wasnā€™t sure if some were saying the gravitational effect wouldnā€™t change, but that was just in reference to the difference between a star before and after becoming a black hole, not counting the mass gone as a result of a nova, i think. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2011, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/betelgeuse-becoming-a-black-hole/568704/37 "2011-04-02T22:44:53Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > The standard English pronunciation is ā€œbeetle juiceā€. I donā€™t know how close that is to the original Arabic, but of course thatā€™s only relevant to Arabic-speakers. Iā€™ve also heard it said with the same vowel sound as ā€œbetaā€. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2011, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/betelgeuse-becoming-a-black-hole/568704/38 "2011-04-03T00:40:56Z")
If mass gets blasted past you, then the gravity you feel would decrease. When I said that the Sunā€™s gravity would not change, I meant if the Sunā€™s entire mass were converted to a black hole (by whatever unknown means; we donā€™t know of any way it could happen). ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2011, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/betelgeuse-becoming-a-black-hole/568704/39 "2011-04-03T00:50:06Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > If mass gets blasted past you, then the gravity you feel would decrease. When I said that the Sunā€™s gravity would not change, I meant if the Sunā€™s entire mass were converted to a black hole (by whatever unknown means; we donā€™t know of any way it could happen). Thanks, these may seem like stupid questions to you, but with physics Iā€™ve got to make sure Iā€™m getting the facts straight. Too many things defy common sense, so itā€™s not that obvious to me. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2011, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/betelgeuse-becoming-a-black-hole/568704/40 "2011-04-03T01:22:45Z")
> [@tracer](#): > > \ > > The supernova explosion wonā€™t _cause_ the black hole. > > Both the supernova explosion, and the black hole, will be caused by the rapid collapse of the starā€™s core after it starts fusing iron into heavier elements. (The coreā€™s held up primarily by radiation pressure from its thermonuclear activity, but iron fusion is endothermic, so when it commences the coreā€™s energy production basically vanishes.) > > \ Youā€™re correct. I oversimplified. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/betelgeuse-becoming-a-black-hole/568704.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/betelgeuse-becoming-a-black-hole/568704.md?page=3)