If the constellation Orion is 1,000 light years from earth, how do we know

T

todd

New member
it still exists? If the constellation Orion is 1,000 light years from earth, the constellation we're seeing now is 1,000 years old! That's even before Medieval times!! So how do we know Orion still exists?? How do we know it hasn't faded or exploded?? How can we know, unless we wait another 1,000 years??

pleas help me with this question! thanks.
thanks! do astronomers spend a lot of time on this question, or do they focus on more important wquestions?
 
1000 years is nothing in terms of a star's "lifetime". Our sun has existed for 4.5 billion years and it will exist for another 4.5 billion years.


There are many blue stars in Orion, and blue stars have shorter lifespans than the sun...but still their lifespans are substantially larger than 1000 years.
 
Back
Top