Betelgeuse, a red supergiant star at a distance of 724 lightyears from the Earth is nearly 50 percent brighter than usual, leading astronomers to suggest that the star may explode in a violent supernova within tens of years.
About Betelgeuse:
- Betelgeuse is a red supergiant star that forms the left shoulder of the constellation of Orion.
- It is one of the brightest stars in the night sky and one of the largest stars ever discovered.
- The star is approximately 650 light-years from Earth.
- It is one of the largest known stars, measuring more than 700 million miles (1.2 billion kilometres) in diameter, 764 times as large as the Sun.Â
- It is known for its periodic dimming and brightening up.
What is a Supernova?
- A supernova is the name given to the cataclysmic explosion of a massive star.
- They are the largest explosion that takes place in space.
- A star can go supernova in one of two ways:
- Type I supernova: Star accumulates matter from a nearby neighbour until a runaway nuclear reaction ignites.
- Type II supernova: Star runs out of nuclear fuel and collapses under its own gravity.
- It can emit more energy in a few seconds than our sun will radiate in its lifetime of billions of years.
- They’re also the primary source of heavy elements in the universe.
- On average, a supernova will occur once every 50 years in a galaxy the size of the Milky Way.