Will Bright Star Betelgeuse Finally Explode?

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Will Bright Star Betelgeuse Finally Explode?

Betelgeuse, a reddish star that's one of the brightest in the night sky, has been noticeably "fainting," or getting dimmer. The approximately 8.5 million-year-old star, which is part of the Orion constellation, has been one of the most recognizable stars in the sky because of its brightness and coloration. But this recent, dramatic fading has prompted scientists to suggest that the star might be entering a pre-supernova phase, dimming before it collapses and "dies" in a fiery supernova explosion.

If the star does become a supernova, Betelgeuse would likely be as bright as, or even brighter than the moon for weeks or even more.

At 642.5 light-years from Earth, it would be the closest supernova observed and recorded by humans (closer than the Crab Nebula, which is 6,523 light-years from Earth and is the result of a supernova reported to have taken place in A.D.1054). This also means that, if we see Betelgeuse explode tonight, the supernova really took place over 600 years ago, we're only seeing it now.


It's not surprising that the extremely massive star  has been dimming, because it's a variable star  meaning its brightness naturally shifts, something that scientists have observed for decades. The star has been classified a red supergiant star because of its size. However, with this recent dimming, the star's brightness kept going down beyond the limits that we ever saw it. It went outside of its usual parameter or comfort zone.While it's possible that the star could explode anytime between now and 100,000 years from now, this dimming might not actually be a sign that it's about to blow.

Even if it is in a pre-explosion phase, it's exciting to watch the star now as it dims. It's kind of neat to see astrophysics or astronomy and stellar evolution in action. These changes are usually so slow that you can't observe them.

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