Is Betelgeuse Going Supernova? Red Supergiant Star Continues To Show Unexpected Behavior

Betelgeuse, the supergiant red star from the constellation Orion, has continued to show unexpected behavior. It dimmed in late 2019 and 2020 and has become bright again.

Supergiant Red Star Betelgeuse in Orion Is Shining Bright Again

Betelgeuse has fainted and became like Bellatrix, the third brightest star in Orion. The event was dubbed the "great dimming." However, the red star is seemingly recovering as it has become bright again, The Conversation reported.

Betelgeuse was the brightest star in Orion for a few days this year, the brightest astronomers have ever seen. Both incidents raised whether it would explode and end its existence.

Generally speaking, stars are incredibly steady. Year after year, they continue to sparkle with the same intensity. However, there are certain exceptions, and some stars, known as variable stars, undergo brightness changes. The most well-known variable star is Mira, or the "star of wonder," found by the German priest David Fabricius in 1596. It pulses and periodically expands and contracts.

Betelgeuse is the brightest of the variable stars, the seventh-brightest star in the sky (excluding the Sun). Betelgeuse can occasionally shine almost as brightly as Rigel, the constellation's fourth-brightest blue star, while other times, it is noticeably fainter. Pulsations, comparable to Mira's but not as strong or consistent, fluctuate.

However, a star occasionally experiences brief bursts of intense brightness. The supernovas, generated when a complete star ends its existence in a massive explosion, are the brightest and rarest.

Supernovas rarely happened in the past 1,000 years, but they can be brilliant enough to be seen during the day. Astronomers dream of seeing a nearby, brilliant supernova, but only some of us will get the chance.

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Is Supergiant Betelgeuse Going Supernova? Here's What Astronomers Say

Betelgeuse is a variable star, but the 2021 great dimming was severe. It had darkened by nearly 60% in just a few months.

In the end, it was determined that a cloud was to blame. Stars like Betelgeuse are constantly ejecting dust and gas. Half of the star was hidden by a clump of gas in the wind as big as the star itself. In actuality, the star's southern half was absent from photos of it. Some stars, like Betelgeuse, seem to have weather.

Although it is now 50% brighter than usual, astronomers are still unsure what prompted the dramatic brightening. However, it doesn't appear that it is going supernova and will explode anytime soon as a supernova explosion is ignited in the core. On the other hand, brightness changes are a surface phenomenon. Supernova is the explosion of a star and the biggest blast in space.

The same dust cloud that produced the dimming and is now bouncing light from the star toward us may perhaps be to blame for the extraordinary brightening.

Although astronomers are enthusiastic, they can't be sure. Betelgeuse is a star with a mass that is between 15 and 20 times that of the Sun and leads with this mass are thought to end their lives in a supernova explosion. Because Betelgeuse is a red supergiant star, its crimson color indicates it is already nearing the end of its existence.

What will happen if Betelgeuse goes supernova and explode? According to the experts, we would initially see a neutrino rain after an explosion, which would be safe to observe. The star would quickly become brighter after that.

It would shine almost the same brightness as the full Moon after one or two weeks. Then, Betelgeuse would wane over the following months, although it would still be visible for six to 12 months. For another year or two, we should be able to see it clearly at night with the naked eye. The crimson glimmer in Orion would then vanish forever, and we would never see it again.