What happens to Superman if he goes near a red sun in space?

[Usagi Yojimbo]

What happens if Superman is on a space adventure and he runs into a red sun? Does he soak up yellow sun energy so he has enough to get away or would his superpowers disappear and he would die? Is he just really, really careful about where he goes in space?

[Francisco]

What happens if Superman is on a space adventure and he runs into a red sun? Does he soak up yellow sun energy so he has enough to get away or would his superpowers disappear and he would die? Is he just really, really careful about where he goes in space?

He should leave before he exhaust his energy reserves. As long as he doesn't exert himself too much it should take awhile.

[LoneNecromancer]

Do you know how large the universe is?

A star is not going to just jump out of nowhere at you, even if you're travelling faster than light.

[Dispenser Of Truth]

A star is not going to just jump out of nowhere at you

I dunno man, Superman's seen some weird stuff.

[adkal]

Do you know how large the universe is?

A star is not going to just jump out of nowhere at you, even if you're travelling faster than light.

I dunno man, Superman's seen some weird stuff.

*cough*Solaris*cough*

:P

[cgh]

It actually doesn't matter what colour of star it is. Even when Superman travels away from our yellow sun, redshift means he is effectively near a red sun. In fact, the faster he goes, the "redder" the sun and the weaker he should get.

So yeah, Superman zipping around in space doesn't exactly hold up under scrutiny no matter what kind of star he happens to be near.

[dancj]

Just because our Sun would look red if you zoom away from it at a high enough speed doesn't mean it actually is red or that it would have the same effect on Superman as a red sun.

[Minerboh]

Just because our Sun would look red if you zoom away from it at a high enough speed doesn't mean it actually is red or that it would have the same effect on Superman as a red sun.

Plus, our Sun is white in actuallity and not yellow.

[cgh]

Just because our Sun would look red if you zoom away from it at a high enough speed doesn't mean it actually is red or that it would have the same effect on Superman as a red sun.

It's not about looking red. It's about electromagnetic wavelengths. Redshift means a shift towards the red end of the spectrum; it literally is red light.

[cgh]

Plus, our Sun is white in actuallity and not yellow.

It doesn't matter what colour it is.

[manduck37]

I doubt it would really matter if Superman ran int a red sun/star in space. There are plenty of other stars out there to fuel his powers while he's travelling the universe. So being close to a red star ceratainly wouldn't mean he's not absorbing the light from all the other stars.

[adkal]

It's not about looking red. It's about electromagnetic wavelengths. Redshift means a shift towards the red end of the spectrum; it literally is red light.

And that's where the 'misunderstanding' comes in. It's not 'red light' that is the issue (despite what some (including writers and editors) try to put forward) but something about a red sun itself. If we go by 'known science', there's nothing about the output of a red sun or a yellow sun that would have the effect it does to Kryptonians and Daxamites - it's basically something we don't know (and something Jor-El and a few others clocked onto). Maggin called it the Photonucleic Effect, but all we know for certain is that there is something 'different' and it's not a case of merely using a filter to make the light red.

[Minerboh]

It doesn't matter what colour it is.

When i am reading a comic in which a man can deprive powers from the rays of a YELLOW star and it is also confirmed that stars of different colour can affect his powers (an examble is pretty much shown in Escape From Bizarro World), then it is safe to say that it DOES matter what colour Sol really is.

[Slaughter]

I like the idea that Supes can be affected by redshifted solar energy, reminds me of that Green Lantern story where Hal Jordan defeated a renegade guardian by using the doppler effect to change his construct's color.

[MykeHavoc]

1Dur.jpg

This is from Infinite Crisis, where the Supermen of Earth 1 and 2 fly Superboy Prime through a red sun to stop him. The result? Earth 1 Supes loses his power for a year and change. Prime is weakened, but still remained the strongest of the three. Earth 2 Supes is severely depleted and Prime is able to beat what's left of him to death.

So the lesson? Supes should stear clear of red suns.