Over the last few weeks, Betelgeuse, the bright reddish star in the constellation Orion, has dimmed to the faintest it's been in a century. Astronomers have been buzzing with excitement about the event, discussing the star over social media and speculating what might be going on.
Artist's impression of Betelguese ,surrounded by the gas it expels and adorned with a gigantic bubble bubbling on its surface, as suggested by recent observations by telescope. On the left, the size scale in rays of Betelgeuse. Right, in astronomical units (the Earth-Sun distance).
One of the night sky's brightest stars is now the faintest it's been in a century. Astronomers aren't sure what it means.
Betelguese's bizarre dimming has astronomers scratching their heads
Artist's impression of Betelguese ,surrounded by the gas it expels and adorned with a gigantic bubble bubbling on its surface, as suggested by recent observations by telescope. On the left, the size scale in rays of Betelgeuse. Right, in astronomical units (the Earth-Sun distance).
One of the night sky's brightest stars is now the faintest it's been in a century. Astronomers aren't sure what it means.
Betelguese's bizarre dimming has astronomers scratching their heads