Betelgeuse Is Dimmer Than We've Ever Seen It
Over the last weekend, astronomy Twitter started noting that the red giant Betelgeuse, the prominent shoulder of Orion was looking visibly dimmer in the sky, and I had a few people reach out to me and ask me if it was really happening and if I knew what was going on.
This is exciting, of course, because Betelgeuse is living on borrowed time, and it could explode as a supernova any day now. Or, it might not detonate for another 100,000 years. We just don’t know.
What’s Betelgeuse up to? Is this a sign that it’s about to explode? And what would it mean if it did?
Watch the video here:
Comments (4)
Well done! Happy new year, Fraser!
You talked of Neutrinos being faster than photons at getting to our detectors during a supernova. I presume that is because the neutrinos have no trouble escaping the interior of the star while photons have to pass through a lot of material that effectively has an index of refraction >1. (And then there's scattering, and re-emission, making the path taken longer) Is that what is causing the difference?
Great Video!! I know you said that when Betelgeuse "blows" it will be about as bright as the full moon making it not so dangerous for the most part but with what seems to be a likely major exception. I would think that if the brightness of the moon was concentrated to a single point in the sky wouldn't it be able to burn pinpoint scars in the retinas of anything looking at it, both man and beast? It seems to me that it might be quite a tragedy of lost sight for people. Has anyone done the math to determine the significance of this potential threat? It would be as if God had decided to take up arc-welding for a year or so up in the sky where everyone can see it, best not to look at it, but I fear for the poor animals and ignorant humans. I would know to look away quickly but would others? Would we have to forgo outside recess for a year or so to protect the eyes or our younglings? Just a thought. Again, great video!! Your effort is much appreciated. :-)
Thanks Fraser! I knew you’d have a good clip on Betelgeuse!