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- It’s not likely to happen now, but we do know that Betelgeuse will definitely explode as a supernova sometime in the next 100,000 years. In the lifetime of stars, that’s really soon, but for astronomers, it’s a hugely exciting prospect because a supernova hasn’t been observed going off in our Milky Way galaxy since the 17th century.
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When will Betelgeuse go supernova?
Is Betelgeuse about to explode?
Could Betelgeuse explode in a supernova?
How long will Betelgeuse's supernova last?
Mar 17, 2024 · A 2023 paper predicts that Betelgeuse’s core will exhaust its carbon fuel in less than 300 years and that “a core collapse leading to a supernova explosion is expected in a few tens of...
Jun 1, 2023 · If Betelgeuse were to go boom it would be the nearest supernova explosion in more than 400 years and it would be so bright it would be visible even in daylight. Related: This new supernova,...
Feb 14, 2020 · Betelgeuse is a dying red supergiant star that will explode as a supernova sometime in the next 100,000 years. Learn how astronomers simulated what humans will see on Earth, how they observed its dimming in 2019, and how a supernova would affect life and astronomy.
- Will Betelgeuse Explode Soon?
- But When Will Betelgeuse Explode?
- The Background Buzz on Betelgeuse
- But What’s Going on Inside Betelgeuse?
- But Why Did Betelgeuse Dim in 2019?
- Will Its Supernova Destroy Earth?
- Betelgeuse in The Night Sky
- Pop Culture, History and Mythology
On March 14, 2024, The American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) reported that the star Betelgeuse in the constellation Orion has dimmed by about 0.5 magnitude since late January. Betelgeuse is the nearest red supergiant star to Earth. It’s a variable star, so a change in its brightness isn’t unusual. But Betelgeuse is now dimmer than...
When will it happen? The answer has been: Maybe today. Maybe a thousand years from now. But since 2019, there’s been a noticeable uptick in Betelgeuse’s brightening and dimming. A paper publishedin June 2023 suggested not thousands of years but “tens of years” as the timescale for Betelgeuse’s going supernova. The paper focused on the concept of st...
Stars shine because they undergo thermonuclear fusionreactions in their interiors. Simply put, they fuse simple elements (like hydrogen) to create more complex elements (like helium), with energy as the byproduct. As massive stars (eight or more solar masses) age, they run out of the simplest fuels but progressively burn more complex fuels until, u...
A recent online study said: And the carbon-burning phase for a massive star like Betelgeuse lasts around 1,000 years. If we are “near the end” of that stage, then Betelgeuse has neared the end of its lifetime and may be about to explode, perhaps even in “tens of years.” But are there other possibilities? Of course there are. UniverseToday published...
Betelgeuse sparked excitement around the world when it began dimming noticeably late in 2019. Astronomers now refer to this event as the “Great Dimming of Betelgeuse”. As it was happening, many believed (and hoped!) the big event – the explosion of this relatively nearby star – was close at hand. Of course – although Betelgeuse regained brightness,...
Whenever Betelgeuse does blow up, our planet Earth is too far away for this explosion to harm, much less destroy, life on Earth. Studies indicate we’d have to be within 160 light-years of a supernovafor it to harm us. And Betelgeuse is perhaps four times this distance. Instead, anyone alive on Earth when Betelgeuse does finally explode will see an ...
At mid-northern latitudes, around the first of every year, Betelgeuse rises around sunset. The star is prominent on January and February evenings. By the beginning of March, this star is due south in the early evening. By mid-May, it is briefly visible in the west after sunset. Betelgeuse travels behind the sun in early summer, and returns in the e...
Remember the movie Beetlejuice? This star’s name is similar to that. The proper names of many bright stars are Arabic in origin. This fact reflects the dominance of Arabic astronomers and astrologers during Europe’s Dark Ages. The name Betelgeuse is derived from an Arabic phrase that is usually translated as “The Armpit of the Giant.” Of course, th...
Jun 9, 2023 · A new study making the rounds predicts that supergiant Betelgeuse will explode as a supernova sooner rather than later, but others are urging caution. This artist’s impression shows the supergiant star Betelgeuse. ESO / L. Calçada. If astronomers had to guess the next, nearby star to go supernova in the Milky Way, their bets might go to Betelgeuse.
Aug 11, 2022 · Betelgeuse, a red supergiant star, lost a huge part of its surface in 2019 and dimmed for months. Hubble and other telescopes observed the star's recovery and the cause of the titanic outburst.
Jun 12, 2023 · Betelgeuse, the red supergiant in Orion, has dimmed and brightened mysteriously in recent years. Learn what causes these variations, how a supernova would affect us, and why it is unlikely to happen soon.
