Red Supergiant Star Betelgeuse Great Dimming Mystery Solved, Here’s Why It Gets Dark

Astronomy experts have found the explanation behind the weird dimming of one of the largest stars in the galaxy. In late 2019, the red supergiant Betelgeuse formed a dust cloud in front of it, blocking our view from the star.

Unveiling Betelgeuse Great Dimming

The Great Dimming, or the unexpected fainting of the supergiant's brightness, was observed in late 2019 and lasted up to the first quarter of 2020. In the span of months, the tenth brightest star located at the Orion constellation became significantly darker. During the dramatic dimming, the astronomers recorded a 40 percent drop in the gigantic star's standard luminosity.

In the wake of the phenomena, astronomers cannot point out the possible cause of Betelgeuse's dimming. Many theories have come up to explain the dullness of the supergiant. Among the speculations include Betelgeuse developing sunspots and the supergiant being on the brink of a supernova.

Due to the weird fading of its brightness, many believed that the star, located more than 500 light-years from our planet, has concluded its final stage and will burst into massive energy and light emissions, reports SciTechDaily.

With the development of the Great Dimming research, a couple of strong pieces of evidence were raised. Early suggestions were massive dust clouds blocking the view and the cooling of the star. A new study confirmed that both possibilities were the possible cause of Betelgeuse's dimming. The research was published in the journal Nature entitled A dusty veil shading Betelgeuse during its Great Dimming, revealing the true cause of the supergiant's faded luminosity.

Why the Red Supergiant Star Betelgeuse Went Dark

Betelgeuse, in reference to the study, appears to have lost a lot of mass months before the Great Dimming occurred. During the pre-darkening of the star, it released a great volume of gas bubbles. This was because of the cold patch located in the southern hemisphere of the red giant. The drop of the star's temperature allows it to emit gas that transforms into dust. The process explains why the star is hardly visible from our perspective, clouding our view with a thick, dark cloud.

European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT) supported the study via the data gathered from the rare phenomenon. It provided details from the supergiant's surface for experts to track the changes in Betelgeuse's luminosity.

Compared to the Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers found the SPHERE instrument in the VLT to be more effective in calculating the structure and activities of the star. They captured a high-resolution view of the dust clouds hovering on the face of the red giant.

The records of the Great Dimming from 2019 and 2020 were compared, and it showed that the brightness of Betelgeuse is back to normal with the dark dust clouds already gone. Many studies will benefit from the activity exhibited by Betelgeuse.

Further research regarding the Great Dimming will help experts understand the burp theory, in which the dust emitted from the star could potentially form chunks of asteroids, planets, and possibly, life. The event will also add supporting facts to the mechanisms behind the supergiant's mass loss and, ultimately, predicting the future of the biggest stars in the universe, reports Gizmodo.

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