You may have heard that Betelgeuse, one of the brightest stars in the night sky, is fading. The orange star forms the top left corner of Orion, probably winter's most easily recognizable constellations. Prior to this dramatic dimming, Betelgeuse was in the top ten brightest stars. Now it doesn't even crack the top 25. It's been clear the last few nights, and it seems to me that Betelgeuse is a little brighter than it had been, but it may be a matter of lighting since I live in civilization.
While the star will certainly end its stellar life with a supernova explosion, astronomers are fairly certain that won't be happening any time soon. Betelgeuse is a variable star, meaning its brightness changes, but that change isn't usually this noticeable or long-lasting. Current trending possibilities for the dimming are an ejection of dust or a cool surface area.
If a cloud of dust came between Betelgeuse and Earth, that would obscure light from the star and make it appear dimmer. It could be an interstellar cloud or material ejected from Betelgeuse itself. The cool area on Betelgeuse's surface wold have to be very large to cause a noticeable dimming here on Earth. That cool spot would be similar to the sunspots we get on our own star, only much larger.
If Betelgeuse were to go supernova, it would be the event of a lifetime. In brightness, it would nearly match a full moon for months. It would be visible during the day for about a year.
This week's information comes from
AccuWeather.
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