2020 January 1
Betelgeuse Imagined
Illustration Credit: ESO, L. Calcada
Illustration Credit: ESO, L. Calcada
Explanation:
Why is Betelgeuse fading?
No one knows.
Betelgeuse,
one of the brightest and
most recognized stars
in the night sky, is only
half as bright as it used to be only five months ago.
Such variability is likely just
normal behavior for this famously variable
supergiant,
but the recent dimming has rekindled discussion on how long it may be before
Betelgeuse does go supernova.
Known for its red color,
Betelgeuse is one of the few stars to be
resolved by modern telescopes, although only barely.
The
featured artist's illustration imagines how
Betelgeuse might look up close.
Betelgeuse is thought to have a
complex and
tumultuous surface that frequently throws impressive flares.
Were it to replace the Sun
(not recommended), its surface would extend out near the orbit of
Jupiter, while gas plumes would bubble out past
Neptune.
Since
Betelgeuse
is about 700 light years away,
its eventual supernova will not endanger life on Earth
even though its brightness
may rival that of a full Moon.
Astronomers -- both amateur and professional -- will surely
continue to monitor
Betelgeuse as this new decade unfolds.
