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In reply to the discussion: Is Betelgeuse, one of the sky's brightest stars, on the brink of a supernova? [View all]lapucelle
(18,252 posts)30. Betelgeuse is 'fainting' but (probably) not about to explode
Posted by Deborah Byrd in Space | December 23, 2019
The well-known bright star Betelgeuse a red giant star, famous for its name and for the fact that itll explode someday has become noticeably dimmer since late October. Heres what astronomers think is happening.
The red supergiant star Betelgeuse in the shoulder of the constellation Orion the Hunter is one of the easiest-to-recognize stars in the night sky. Its also one of the biggest stars we know, with a radius extending out to the distance of Mars from our sun, and possibly Jupiter! Plus, its famous for its name, featured in the movie Beetlejuice. And, as if those things werent enough, this star is also famous for the fact that itll someday explode and appear in our sky as a supernova, becoming visible in daytime and possibly outshining the moon at night.
In recent weeks, though, the chatter about Betelgeuse has been centered on something else entirely. Astronomers are excited about the fact that since about October this bright star has become noticeably dimmer. In the terminology of astronomers, the star is fainting.
Whats happening? Could it be a sign that Betelgeuse is about to explode as a supernova? Astronomers say probably not. Lets consider the facts.
The red supergiant star Betelgeuse in the shoulder of the constellation Orion the Hunter is one of the easiest-to-recognize stars in the night sky. Its also one of the biggest stars we know, with a radius extending out to the distance of Mars from our sun, and possibly Jupiter! Plus, its famous for its name, featured in the movie Beetlejuice. And, as if those things werent enough, this star is also famous for the fact that itll someday explode and appear in our sky as a supernova, becoming visible in daytime and possibly outshining the moon at night.
In recent weeks, though, the chatter about Betelgeuse has been centered on something else entirely. Astronomers are excited about the fact that since about October this bright star has become noticeably dimmer. In the terminology of astronomers, the star is fainting.
Whats happening? Could it be a sign that Betelgeuse is about to explode as a supernova? Astronomers say probably not. Lets consider the facts.
You can read the rest here:
https://earthsky.org/space/betelgeuse-fainting-probably-not-about-to-explode
Deborah Byrd's website is excellent for amateurs and hobbyists, and you can subscribe to her daily newsletter. She sums up every article with a "bottom line".
Bottom line: The bright red star Betelgeuse in the constellation Orion the Hunter has become noticeably fainter in recent months. Does that means its about to explode? Probably not, astronomers say
Thanks for the post, Zorro. I was going to wave, but in honor of your name I'll do this instead.
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Is Betelgeuse, one of the sky's brightest stars, on the brink of a supernova? [View all]
Zorro
Dec 2019
OP
Normally +0.5 magnitude, it is now +1.5 magnitude (the more positive the mag, the dimmer it is)
progree
Dec 2019
#2
And modern scientist were lucky enough to witness the tiny speck in time that
Blue_true
Dec 2019
#54
Yeah, me, too, although I only wrote for that magazine for a couple of years.
MineralMan
Dec 2019
#19
PC World...Hmmm, I rec'd that magazine for years being in the RBOC (also Wired, others), ahhh, ...
SWBTATTReg
Dec 2019
#26
If Betelgeuse blows, it would be bright enough to be visible during the day.
backscatter712
Dec 2019
#32
Lol, mine gave me a bike that dad intended to fix up. It was purple (still my favorite color).
cwydro
Dec 2019
#48
It will be brighter than the full moon for a few weeks and visible in the daytime sky.
hunter
Dec 2019
#25
Being that it started (relatively speaking here of course) getting dimmer, is the Helium being ...
SWBTATTReg
Dec 2019
#28
Maybe - we've only been measuring its brightness for a short time astronomically speaking.
backscatter712
Dec 2019
#35
Neat! At least we are far enough away and somewhat have a front row seat to when it ...
SWBTATTReg
Dec 2019
#40
You make sound like its going to irradiate the surface of the earth like something fierce...
SWBTATTReg
Dec 2019
#66
Even if it has fused to Iron, it is many millions of years away from becoming a supernova. nt
Blue_true
Dec 2019
#60
What's fun is visualizing the core collapse, then surrounding layers collapsing a split-second later
backscatter712
Dec 2019
#87
I am a Warm Deist, so by definition I don't believe that we are alone in the vastness of space.
Blue_true
Dec 2019
#64
It's just too bad that a time frame of "extremely imminent" on the galactic scale
blugbox
Dec 2019
#86