what if I told you there's a star out there a Colossus many times larger than our sun with a volume big enough to squeeze 1.2 Billion Stars the size of our sun inside a star so unpredictable its brightness changes constantly its shape twisting and contorting in a cosmic dance the reason for its unusual behavior is the huge star is on the brink of a cataclysmic finale poised to explode in a spectacular Supernova this is the star ble Jaz one of the brightest stars in our night sky just 640 light years away when will ble Jaz
explode and what secrets are hidden behind its unpredictable Behavior are we about to witness a massive Supernova in our night sky and are we in danger when this huge star explodes I'm Tom Bennett and your watching Destiny battle Jazz also known as Alpha orionis is a red super giant Star located in the constellation Orion it's one of the largest Stars visible to the naked eye and can be found forming the top left shoulder of the hunter Orion ble Jaz is approximately 642 light years away from Earth making its relatively close in astronomical terms this star
is truly gigantic to give you an idea of its immense size if ble Jaz were placed at the center of our solar system its surface would extend beyond the orbit of Jupiter engulfing Mercury Venus Earth Mars and possibly the asteroid belt Bal JZ has a radius about 1,400 times that of our sun and a mass roughly 20 times greater despite this it has a much lower density due to its expansive volume ble Jaz is part of a class of stars known as super Giants which are among the most massive and luminous stars in the universe
these stars have short lifespans burning through their nuclear fuel at an astonishing rate ble Jaz is thought to be around 8 to 10 million years old which is quite young in Stellar terms however it's already nearing the end of its life cycle we said previously that battle Jaz is a red super giant meaning that it's now in the last stage of its life having exhausted the hydrogen in its core ble Jaz is now fusing heavier elements causing it to expand and cool which gives it its characteristic red color this stage is brief in Stellar terms
lasting only a few million years before the star's dramatic demise the life of Bessel Jaz has been one of constant change it started as a hot Blue Giant burning hydrogen in its core as the hydrogen was depleted the core contracted and heated up igniting helium Fusion this process caused the outer layers of the star to expand and cool transforming it into the red super giant we see today the intense Fusion reactions in ble jz's core are producing elements like carbon oxygen and eventually heavier elements like Silicon and iron once ion accumulates in the core it
marks the end of the fusion process as iron Fusion consumes more energy than it releases leading to the Stars inevitable collapse in late 2019 ble jaar began to exhibit unusual behavior astronomers noticed that it was dimming significantly a phenomenon that continued into early 2020 this dimming was so pronounced that ble jz's brightness dropped to about 40% of its usual Luminosity making it noticeably fainter to the naked eye the sudden dimming of betle Jaz sparked a flurry of scientific activity and public speculation many wondered if this was a sign that ble JZ was about to go
supernova however while this dimming was unusual it wasn't necessarily an immediate precursor to a supernova scientists proposed several theories to explain the dimming including massive ejections of gas and dust from the Star surface and large star spots akin to the sun spots we see on our own Sun but on a much grander [Music] scale one of the most compelling explanations came from observations using the very large telescope in Chile which suggested that the dimming was caused by a giant cloud of dust that was ejected from from ble jz's surface this dust cloud when viewed from
Earth blocked a significant portion of the star's light leading to The observed dimming fast forward to today and ble JZ is once again making headlines recent observations indicate that the star is dimming once more this has reignited discussions and Research into what is happening with this colossal star the recurrence of dimming events suggests that battle Jaz is experiencing significant convective activity in its outer layers which may be causing these variations in brightness these dimming episodes provide a rare opportunity to study the processes occurring in the outer layers of a red super giant scientists are using
a variety of instruments including groundbased telescopes and space observatories to monitor battle Jaz and gather data that can help unravel the mysteries of Its [Music] Behavior ble Jaz has been observed for centuries and its brightness variations have been noted by many cultures ancient astronomers including Greeks and Arabic Scholars documented ble Jaz and its prominent position in the sky its name itself has roots in Arabic derived from yadal Jaa which means the hand of aionion in literature and mythology ble Jaz has been a source of inspiration and intrigue it appeared in works of Science Fiction such
as Douglas Adams The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy where it's the home star of the ble Jian its prominence in the night sky has made it a symbol of mystery and power but the question on everyone's mind now is when will ble jez go supernova predicting the exact timing of such an event is extremely challenging it could happen tomorrow or it could be another 100,000 years before ble JZ reaches the end of its life what we do know is that as a red super giant ble Jaz is nearing the end of its Stellar life cycle
when ble Jaz does go supernova it will be a spectacular event the explosion will be so bright that it will be visible during the day for weeks possibly even months it will outshine the full moon and be visible to the naked eye from Earth this Supernova will release an immense amount of energy briefly outshining the entire galaxy before fading [Music] away the process of a supernova is a complex and violent event it begins with the core collapse which happens in a fraction of a second the outer layers of the star fall inward at speeds of
up to 43,000 m/s generating a shock wave that propagates outward this shock wave heats the surrounding material causing it to Glow brightly and creating the supernova's characteristic light curve from Earth astronomers will have a unique opportunity to study the Supernova in real time gaining insights into the processes that govern Stellar Evolution and death this will also be a momentous event for amateur astronomers and skywatchers providing a once- in a-lifetime spectacle the that's if it happens in our lifetime while we can't predict exactly when battle Jaz will go supernova astronomers are prepared to observe and study
the event when it happens Advanced telescopes and observatories around the world are ready to capture data across multiple wavelengths from visible light to gamma rays public Outreach and education efforts are also in place to inform and engage the public when the supernova occurs organizations like NASA and the European Space Agency have plans to share realtime updates and observations with the public making this a global event that will unite people in awe and [Music] wonder technological advances have significantly enhanced our ability to study stars like ble jazz instruments like the Hubble Space Telescope the very large
telescope and the James web space Tel scope will provide unprecedented views of these distant Giants and if Balz does explode soon the images that these telescopes are going to take will be mind-blowing currently these telescopes allow scientists to analyze the light from ble JZ in Exquisite detail revealing its composition surface activity and internal processes future space missions and observatories will further our understanding of red super Giants and super noi projects like the VC Rubin Observatory and the European extremely large telescope a poised to make groundbreaking discoveries potentially uncovering new insights into the life cycles of
stars and the Dynamics of supernova explosions many of you at this point might be wondering if the star does explode are we any danger here on Earth it goes without saying that when ble JZ does eventually go supernova it will be an extraordinary event for observers on Earth but the light from the explosion will take approximately 642 years to reach us meaning we will witness an event that's happened centuries ago the Supernova will be bright enough to be visible during the day and at night it will cast Shadows yes this does mean that the star
could have already gone super NOA but we just haven't seen it yet but not to worry despite the dramatic display battle jaz's Supernova poses no threat to Earth the explosion will be too far away to have any harmful effects on our planet instead it will provide a unique opportunity to study the aftermath of a supernova up close and personal battle Jaz the mighty red super giant continues to Captivate Us with its size brightness and unpredictable Behavior its recent dimming episodes have reminded us of the dynamic and everchanging nature of the universe while we may not
know exactly when ble Jaz will go supernova we do know that it will be an event of unparalleled Brilliance and scientific importance so keep your eyes on the night sky and remember that every twinkle of ble Jaz brings us closer to witnessing one of the universe's most a inspiring phenomena until then we'll continue to Marvel at this Giant star and the Mysteries it [Music] holds thank you for joining us on this journey through the cosmos make sure to stay tuned here for more exciting and mysterious things happening in the universe and if you enjoyed the
video then give us a like it really helps us out so we can create more amazing content for our viewers from all of us here at Destiny thanks for watching and we'll see you next time [Music]
