Eliezer_Yudkowsky comments on Three Worlds Decide (5/8) - Less Wrong

24 Post author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 03 February 2009 09:14AM

You are viewing a comment permalink. View the original post to see all comments and the full post content.

Comments (136)

Sort By: Old

You are viewing a single comment's thread.

Comment author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 03 February 2009 11:27:00PM 0 points [-]

Peter, being able to blow up a whole star (a process that is obviously going to involve some kind of positive feedback cycle) is not the same as being able to start novas. A nova is not a detonation of a star. A nova is the detonation of a shell of hydrogen that has accumulated from a companion and compressed on the surface of a degenerate star (white dwarf).