Betelgeuse Is Destined to Explode as a Supernova…But When?

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Long considered one of the brightest stars in the night sky, Betelgeuse has begun to dramatically fade then brighten again for reasons we can’t quite pin down. And it’s caused some people to wonder if it's about to explode.

Long description:

Despite being roughly 643 light years away, Betelguese is nearly impossible to miss. For starters, it’s MASSIVE; so big that if it were at the center of our Solar System, it would engulf all the planets up to Jupiter. Its diameter is roughly 1,000 times that of our Sun! To find it, just look at the Orion constellation. If Orion is “The Hunter” with his iconic three-star belt, then Betelguese is the hunter’s left shoulder. If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere during the first few days of January, you can see Betelguese rising in the east just after sunset. All other times, this star is easy to spot no matter where you’re located in the world! Especially September through March.

Some of the earliest known records of Betelguese come from China in the 1st century BCE. These records describe Betelgeuse as being yellow… which is strange, because just a few years later, in 150 CE, the Egyptian astronomer Ptolemy described Betelguese as red. This indicates that Betelguse rapidly underwent a stellar phase change sometime between the time these two records were made, evolving to become the red giant that it is today.

Betelguese’s propensity for fading and brightening over a multi-year cycle also seems to have caught people’s attention. In western Aboriginal Australian oral tradition, Betelguese represents the ‘fire magic’ used by a love-struck hunter to reach the object of his affection. Unfortunately, the fire magic’s tendency to flicker out ultimately causes him to fail. While Sir John Herschel continues to be recognized as the first to notice Betelguese’s variable brightness, it’s clear that people living before the 19th century also recognized what was going on.

#stars #betelgeuse #supernova #constellations #astronomy #astrology #astrophysics #science #seeker

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Read more:

Betelgeuse went dark, but didn’t go supernova. What happened?
"What they do know is that Betelgeuse is running out of time. It’s less than 10 million years old, a youngster compared with the roughly 4.6-billion–year-old sun. But because Betelgeuse is so massive and burns through its fuel so quickly, it’s already in the final life stage of a red supergiant."

Aboriginal Australians Observed Red Giant Stars' Variability
"Hamacher found two oral traditions that referenced the variable stars Betelgeuse, Antares and Aldebaran. Their changes in brightness carried important weight in the narratives and helped encode certain social rules, such as signaling to the tribe when to celebrate initiation rituals."

When Will Betelgeuse Explode?
"In this video, I talk about when Betelgeuse will explode. Spoiler: it's not for another 100,000 years or so! I discuss the physics of the recent dimming and subsequent brightening, and what we can see when we look up with the naked eye."

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You can probably point to the Big Dipper, Orion's Belt, and your astrological sign in the sky. But what would the constellations look like from another solar system? And will any of Orion’s stars ever become black holes? In Seeker Constellations, we'll explain the science of the universe’s most famous stars and dive into the culturally significant stories behind them. Most importantly, we’ll provide a guide to where you can see these incredible constellations for yourself!
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Seeker empowers the curious to understand the science shaping our world. We tell award-winning stories about the natural forces and groundbreaking innovations that impact our lives, our planet, and our universe.

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It's so great to see somebody passionate about their work and willing to share it with us. Great job!

mjennings
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Planets near betelgeuse: "bravo six, going dark"

_percent
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Damn! I'd like to see a supernova at least once in my life!

SpinCity
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Her passion is super infectious, great video

KevGoesRiding
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If you say Betelgeuse 3 times in a row quickly, it might go supernova 😉

justlisten
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The excitement of someone who is a professional in any field can be Intoxicating, this was super awesome to watch!!

adamhunter
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I love your enthusiasm which really shows compared to other seeker hosts - this makes videos even more enjoyable as you can see a person burning with passion for these topics in and out.

mroutcast
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At 1:20 you mentioned Chinese astronomers calling betelgeuse yellow and Egyptian astronomers calling it red; this might just be language barriers and lack of other colors in the language at the time.

mended
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Loved it Sarafina. Kinda envious of those who will be around to witness the Betelgeuse supernova. Will be spectacular.

lindamitman
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Betelgeuse plz explode fast.
Betelgeuse: I am truly Slothful.
My brain trembles

j.a.amoaghashesha
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Kinda disappointed, was hoping I could see a supernova in my lifetime

itsukiyuuto
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Thanks for the explanation. Since my dad died in February and I’ve been disabled I’ve really gotten into space, stars, and planets as well as history. If I could go back to school I would love to learn about these 2 topics.

debrakleid
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Love all the ReZero references.
My brain, it trembles

TheBionicles
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Wow, seems like me and Betelgeuse are related. Sudden change of moods lol🙂

LaibaStarXX
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Love, pure love, true love my brain it trembles.

nonso_
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This star is closely related to a cartoon that I watched on loop everyday when my parents were gone

Т-ми
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Fascinating information in this video, can really appreciate her enthusiasm during the whole thing. Thank you for posting 👍

greatcanadianbacon
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I found out about Betelgeuse's radical dimming the hard way. I was setting up my scopes in the backyard last January for a night of observing and when I looked up at Orion something just seemed off. It was almost an uncanny valley-like effect. Took me a minute to realize what was bothering me so much.

Immediately hopped online and discovered it wasn't just me!

tjzambonischwartz
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I’m a recent Monster Hunter fan, but the first thing I got from hearing Betelgeuse was Bazelgeuse, AKA the B-52 Bomber. Those unaware, look him up, you’ll understand after

HPMCCPooTis
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*the only thing i keep hearing is Beetle Juice*
in the entire video. lol

ZeroBudgetLife