01/12/2020
Is Betelgeuse “beetle-juice” about to go supernova?
Over the last three months, the star, which marks the armpit of Orion the hunter, has mysteriously dimmed to less than half its normal brightness, markedly altering one of the great sights of the winter sky.
Betelgeuse — sometimes pronounced “beetle-juice,” and also known as Alpha Orionis — is at least 10 times and maybe 20 times as massive as the sun. If it were placed in our solar system, its fiery gases would engulf everything out to Jupiter’s orbit.
The star is a so-called red supergiant in the last violent stages of its evolution, probably leaving behind a black hole.
That will be quite a show. Betelgeuse is only 700 light-years from Earth, far enough to not kill us when it goes, but close enough to impress; the supernova would be as bright as a full moon in our sky [now think about how big that is]; [and will be visible in the day time sky.]
NOTE: I've read elsewhere that once the explosion reaches Earth, even at 700 light-years, it will burn off a small part of the Earth's atmosphere.
A familiar star in the constellation Orion has dimmed noticeably since October. Astronomers wonder if its explosive finale is imminent.
