In southern Yunnan and the observatory observation array center, Xu Chuan found several doctoral students and brothers at NTU.

These people were discussing something fiercely in a laboratory, and on the side, there were several scientific researchers from the observatory's observation array center, who were also exchanging and arguing about something at the same time.

Without making a sound, Xu Chuan slowed down and leaned over to listen.

"Perhaps it is caused by Betelgeuse's asymmetric cladding activity, but the data in this section is indeed abnormal compared with other observations."

"I have checked the original observation data, and I have also compared the historical data, and from the infrared spectral analysis data, the abnormal observation data this time is not remarkable in history, and the more abnormal data than this one have been observed on Betelgeuse."

"For example, in 2007, the astronomical observatory in the country where the sun never sets observed the abnormal expansion of Betelgeuse, and the overall shape was drawn from the standard circle of a ping-pong ball to the shape of an egg."

"I know that this incident is later analyzed as a result of Betelgeuse's activities causing a large amount of material to be discharged from the gas cladding."

"So I don't think there's anything wrong with the data, the problem may be in the data calculation, a star calculates two diameters with huge differences, which is not scientific, and it directly violates common sense."

“......”

"Ah, Xu Chuan is here."

was discussing, and suddenly someone noticed Xu Chuan who was squatting on the side, and exclaimed.

This made the colleague who had just questioned the problem with the data calculation blush, a little embarrassed, after all, he said behind the back of the main owner that there was a problem with his calculation, which was not good, and it was also heard by the main owner.

Xu Chuan didn't care, he didn't care, it was normal to have doubts.

To engage in scientific research, it is necessary to question the spirit.

It is precisely because of the rigor of scientific research that it is more necessary for someone to question whether the process and results are correct.

The more basic the discipline, the more people need to stand up.

And he's a bit outrageous.

A star has calculated two diameters, not to mention these workers in the astronomy department, even if it is a Fields Medal winner, Fellman or Witten, the first reaction is probably to calculate the data or the calculation formula is a problem.

So Xu Chuan doesn't have any opinions on other people's suspicions, as long as there is a discussion result in the end.

"It's okay, don't care about me, do I care more about the outcome of your discussion? How is the verification of the observation data, is there a problem with the observation data, or is there an abnormality in Betelgeuse? ”

Xu Chuan waved his hand and motioned for everyone to continue.

On the side, Liu Xuan, who led the team at Nanda, shook his head and said, "There hasn't been much progress, and I can't be sure what went wrong." ”

"However, there are a few situations that could go wrong."

"Which ones?" Xu Chuan asked.

Liu Xuan: "The first one may be caused by the asymmetric cladding activity of Betelgeuse, because Betelgeuse has reached its old age, and the outer hydrogen cladding is constantly expanding, but at the same time, its internal core is violently active, so the hydrogen cladding is showing a different appearance, which leads to problems with the observation data. ”

"The second, it may be that Betelgeuse was violently active, causing the massive crested pinnae gas to be expelled from the surface outwards to form a stellar expansion-like effect."

"Third, it may be that there is a problem with your data calculation, junior brother."

"Fourth, there may be a companion star orbiting it in its gas envelope, and part of the observed data may come from its companion star."

"Fifth, there may be a planet orbiting it in its gas envelope......"

"The Sixth ........"

Liu Xuan enumerated the possible situations, Xu Chuan listened quietly, and when he finished speaking, he raised his head and said, "Can you tell me the details of the fourth and fifth companions?" ”

"Well, no problem."

Liu Xuan nodded, and continued: "The first time humans accurately observed the star Betelgeuse was when large telescopes and radio telescopes appeared, which was less than fifty years ago. ”

"Fifty years ago, parameter four was already in its old age."

"A star expands as it enters its old age, like our sun."

"When the sun enters its old age, most of the hydrogen in the central region will be reactive, and the rate of thermonuclear reaction will immediately decrease dramatically, and at the same time, the balance between gravity and radiation pressure in the central region will be broken, and gravity will prevail."

"At this time, the central nucleus begins to contract, and gradually becomes hotter and denser, and at the same time, the energy released by the core contraction of the outer layer expands violently, and it becomes a red giant."

"At the same time, the Sun's outer shell expands outward, and the core compresses inward, eventually becoming a red giant in later years and ejecting the outer layers to form a planetary nebula."

"According to calculations, the sun will spread to the earth's borders in its later years, and in the process, it will swallow up all the surrounding materials, such as Mercury, Venus, the earth, etc."

"Betelgeuse is currently at this stage, and its surface, the hydrogen cladding, has been spreading outward, increasing in volume and diameter."

"At this stage, if there is another star in the vicinity of Betelgeuse, and it is not destroyed during the engulfment, it will fall into Betelgeuse's hydrogen envelope."

"If its mass and orbital speed can resist the gravitational pull of the core, it will rotate around the core in the hydrogen envelope, and then form a unique binary star system, that is, the small star becomes a planet and revolves around the main star."

"That might explain why you calculated that there are two diameters, and there may be some observations that actually come from this little star."

"But this statement is relatively ......, well, it can only be said that the current astronomical community does not have enough evidence to support it, and it is just a hypothesis made by other researchers in the astronomical community in the past about Betelgeuse's unusual celestial activity."

"As for the planets, they are similar to the situation of companion stars, they are all swallowed, but the probability of a planet is relatively small, because they do not have such a strong gravitational pull against the stellar wind, and they will all eventually fall into the core of Betelgeuse."

"So the probability of the existence of a planet can be basically ruled out."

Liu Xuan roughly explained the so-called binary star system, although the binary star system is very common in the universe, he is not very optimistic about this hypothesis.

Because of the distance and the formation of stars.

The formation of a single star system is relatively simple, that is, the material dust and some gases in the universe accumulate over time to form a gathering point, and finally gather into stars under the action of gravity.

A binary star, on the other hand, has more dust and matter somewhere in the universe and is widely distributed, so it is possible to form two aggregation points, that is, two accretion disks, and finally form two stars over a long period of time.

If the mass of the two stars is sufficient and the distance between the stars is sufficient, then a stable binary star system can be formed, and more than one-third of the galaxies in the Milky Way are binary-star.

But Betelgeuse does not have this condition.

Because the distance is too short.

Even if its size is placed in the solar system, the boundary is large enough to swallow Jupiter, but on a cosmic scale, if there are two stars crammed into this range, it is no different from next to each other.

But during the star-forming phase, gravitational collapse empties everything around it.

Massive stars like Betelgeuse eat up all the raw materials around them when they form.

Even if there were enough raw materials nearby to form a small star, it would gradually fall into Betelgeuse due to the influence of the huge gravitational pull, and eventually disappear.

You must know that the diameter calculated this time is a star with a diameter of 890 times the diameter of the Sun, and another star with an unknown diameter of only 67 times the diameter of the Sun, which is very different.

The gravitational difference between the two is like an elephant and an ordinary person pulling a river.

There is only one end result, and that is that ordinary people are dragged away.

In addition, there is no evidence in the current astronomical community that Betelgeuse is a binary star system.

Observations and observations of Betelgeuse over the past few decades have never found any traces of its companion star.

Therefore, Liu Xuan is not very optimistic about the existence of another star revolving around Betelgeuse's inner core in the hydrogen envelope of Betelgeuse.

He felt that the most likely thing was either an anomaly in the observation data caused by the intense activity of the hydrogen cladding, or that there was a problem with the calculation formula of this junior brother.

Xu Chuan pondered for a moment and asked, "If it's such a binary star system, then it should have a regression cycle, right?" ”

"It's like the moon revolves around the earth and returns to the full moon every month."

Liu Xuan nodded and said, "If this kind of stable physical binary star system really exists, the small star will definitely have a regression cycle. ”

"It's just that we can't be sure how long it will take for this 'hypothetical' little star to make a circle around Betelgeuse."

"Maybe a week? One month? Or maybe a year? Or more than ten years? ”

Xu Chuan: "Can you calculate an approximate time?" ”

Liu Xuan smiled bitterly and said, "I don't know, no one has ever thought about it, and no one has tried it, because of the lack of necessary data." ”

"You know, the speed of a planet's revolution depends on the gravitational pull of the star it is revolving, and the distance ........"

Before Senior Brother Liu finished speaking, Xu Chuan understood what he meant.

This is the basis of physics.

The gravitational force is directly proportional to the mass, the greater the mass, the stronger the gravitational force, inversely proportional to the distance, the farther the distance, the smaller the gravitational force.

For example, the earth is subject to the gravitational pull of the sun, and when it approaches the sun, the sun itself has rotation, which causes the earth to rotate with its gravitational force.

While revolving, a centrifugal force is created between the Earth and the Sun. The centrifugal force is in opposition to the gravitational pull of the sun, and this counterbalance is directly proportional to the distance from the sun.

The closer you are to the Sun, the stronger the gravitational pull.

In order not to be attracted directly into the star by the gravitational pull of the star, then the planet will rotate faster, thus forming a greater centrifugal force against the gravitational pull of the sun.

In galaxies that can eventually be stabilized, the centrifugal force and gravitational force between the planets are in a state of equilibrium.

That's why the Earth won't be sucked into the sun.

According to this theorem, it is possible to calculate the orbital speed of a traveling star after determining some conditions such as distance and mass.

But now the problem is that if Betelgeuse does have a small star in its hydrogen envelope, no one can know how far it is from Betelgeuse's inner core and how massive it is.

Because when Betelgeuse was observed, it was already in its old age, and it had already devoured this 'probable' star.

Therefore, there is no way to calculate the mass and orbital speed of this companion star.

......。