Thomas Micklewright Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 The other night I was in Wittering (south coast) and saw about 8 shooting stars, what I believe to be 3 satelites and also saw a very bright star grow brighter, and then dim and then disappear.Was that a star dying?Just wondering if there are any ED astonomers that could help?ThanksThomas Link to comment https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/18802-question-about-stars-the-ones-in-the-sky/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Bob* Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 Thomas Micklewright Wrote:-------------------------------------------------------> Was that a star dying?How long were you standing there? Link to comment https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/18802-question-about-stars-the-ones-in-the-sky/#findComment-460663 Share on other sites More sharing options...
mockney piers Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 I think you're describing a supernova. I don't think it would happen that quickly as the matter would be visible for quite some time (days to weeks).In fact had a quick swizz on Nasa to see if there have been any recent ones, and there have been but not visible as described by you, in fact one of them was detected 400 years after one bright enough to be seen by the naked eye did occur.Was there a distant house on a dark cliff that looked like it was in the sky where there was a lad playing with a dimmer switch in one of the rooms perhaps? Link to comment https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/18802-question-about-stars-the-ones-in-the-sky/#findComment-460671 Share on other sites More sharing options...
DulwichFox Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 Thomas Micklewright Wrote:-------------------------------------------------------> The other night I was in Wittering (south coast)> and saw about 8 shooting stars, what I believe to> be 3 satelites and also saw a very bright star> grow brighter, and then dim and then disappear.> > Was that a star dying?> > Just wondering if there are any ED astonomers that> could help?> > Thanks> > ThomasSimple answer is No... Stars take millions of years to die out and are not visible even before they die.When a star 'dies' (by that I mean when there are no more nuclear fusion reactions going on in it), it can take three different forms. Depending on the initial mass of the star, it will become either a white dwarf, a neutron star or a black hole. You can immediately rule out seeing black holes because they don't emit any light, and neutron stars because they are too small. This leaves us with white dwarfs, which are the larger of the three possible end products for stars. Unfortunately, you will not be able to see even the brightest white dwarf.More detail...Here Link to comment https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/18802-question-about-stars-the-ones-in-the-sky/#findComment-460677 Share on other sites More sharing options...
red devil Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 ...or had you previously been staring at a lightbulb* for an unhealthily long time?...http://us.cdn3.123rf.com/168nwm/mylifeiscamp/mylifeiscamp0906/mylifeiscamp090600020/4981953-male-portrait-staring-at-new-light-bulb-isolated-on-black-background.jpg*energy saving/eco-conscious of course Link to comment https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/18802-question-about-stars-the-ones-in-the-sky/#findComment-460678 Share on other sites More sharing options...
DulwichFox Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 The explosion of a supernova occurs in a star in a very short timespan of about 100 seconds. When a star undergoes a supernova explosion, it dies leaving behind a remnant: either a neutron star or a black hole.Details Here. Link to comment https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/18802-question-about-stars-the-ones-in-the-sky/#findComment-460680 Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJKillaQueen Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 Alien life? :)) Link to comment https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/18802-question-about-stars-the-ones-in-the-sky/#findComment-460681 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salsaboy Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 Any sign of Vic Reeves with the shooting stars? Link to comment https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/18802-question-about-stars-the-ones-in-the-sky/#findComment-460713 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chick Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 Twas probably the intenational space station, was it travelling from west to east? Link to comment https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/18802-question-about-stars-the-ones-in-the-sky/#findComment-461000 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huguenot Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 I can't get the fly-by details for last week, but these are the times that the ISS is visible in Wittering over the next few nights, along with other satellites. For those of you in East Dulwich, here are the times satellites are visible in ED.The ISS is the second brightest thing in the sky after the moon, and it flies by every 90 minutes. However most of the time at night it'll be in the Earths shadow.What Thomas Mickelwright will have seen is the transition from sunlight to shadow. Link to comment https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/18802-question-about-stars-the-ones-in-the-sky/#findComment-461036 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salsaboy Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 What a fantastic website! Link to comment https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/18802-question-about-stars-the-ones-in-the-sky/#findComment-461069 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huguenot Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 Really cool.We can't see the ISS down here, but we do get the Hubble Telescope, and loads of space junk that the Chinese have chucked up there over the last two decades. Messy buggers. Link to comment https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/18802-question-about-stars-the-ones-in-the-sky/#findComment-461075 Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeckhamRose Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 Indeed a great website. I also remember hearing about an App you can download so that if you are in the countryside or at least the night sky full of stars is very bright, you aim your iPhone camera at it and the App will tell you what is what as a result of what the camera can see. But I don't have time to find that for you. Sorry! Link to comment https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/18802-question-about-stars-the-ones-in-the-sky/#findComment-461076 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Micklewright Posted August 4, 2011 Author Share Posted August 4, 2011 Cheers guys very interesting, thanks for the links.Tom Link to comment https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/18802-question-about-stars-the-ones-in-the-sky/#findComment-461079 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huguenot Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 It's called Star Walk - 5 Stars Astronomy Guide.It's a work of exceptional genius. I may just have to get myself an iPhone for this. Beautiful. Link to comment https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/18802-question-about-stars-the-ones-in-the-sky/#findComment-461080 Share on other sites More sharing options...
siousxiesue Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 PeckhamRose Wrote:-------------------------------------------------------> Indeed a great website. I also remember hearing> about an App you can download so that if you are> in the countryside or at least the night sky full> of stars is very bright, you aim your iPhone> camera at it and the App will tell you what is> what as a result of what the camera can see. But> I don't have time to find that for you. Sorry!I've got this app! One of very few I was interested in, called Google Sky Map-just love it.... Link to comment https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/18802-question-about-stars-the-ones-in-the-sky/#findComment-461097 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salsaboy Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 Me too - fantastic! Link to comment https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/18802-question-about-stars-the-ones-in-the-sky/#findComment-461356 Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Mc Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 Don't know about the disappearing star, but I think it wasn't likely to be a supernova. They're quite rare and pretty spectacular:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SupernovaThe shooting stars are probably the Perseids:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perseids Link to comment https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/18802-question-about-stars-the-ones-in-the-sky/#findComment-462145 Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeckhamRose Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 I need to get me an iPhone if ONLY for that App! I expect I am the only one here who has not yet bothered! Link to comment https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/18802-question-about-stars-the-ones-in-the-sky/#findComment-462186 Share on other sites More sharing options...
mockney piers Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 there are a couple of such apps for android as well. 'Star Chart' is really nice. Link to comment https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/18802-question-about-stars-the-ones-in-the-sky/#findComment-462193 Share on other sites More sharing options...
LHemphillix Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 Just a little more astronomical nerdiness. It probably wasn't a supernova, but if it was, then it also doesn't represent a star dying now but rather one dying a long time ago. The Milky Way galaxy is about 100,000 light years in diameter, which means that the light from that star, if it was a star, could take tens of thousands of years to reach the earth. Of course if it was the ISS then whatever was happening with it was much more recent. Link to comment https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/18802-question-about-stars-the-ones-in-the-sky/#findComment-462345 Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamP Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 I have found this site to be excellent for watching the ISS.http://esa.heavens-above.com/PassSummary.aspx?satid=25544&lat=51.517&lng=-0.105&loc=London&alt=18&tz=GMTShows a map of the night sky plus the ground track. Just need some clear nights in the next week or two. Link to comment https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/18802-question-about-stars-the-ones-in-the-sky/#findComment-462657 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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