2023-05-26 16:51:00
The conspicuous star Betelgeuse in the constellation of Orion is attracting attention again – this time because it is getting brighter. Is a supernova imminent?
Frankfurt – The conspicuous star Betelgeuse has just said goodbye to the evening sky together with the constellation Orion when its behavior suddenly causes a stir again. The red supergiant, left shoulder star of the constellation Orion and about 650 light-years from Earth, changes brightness again. This happened most recently in the winter and spring of 2019/2020: Betelgeuse had become significantly darker during this period and left experts puzzled about the strange behavior.
While some were hoping for a supernova within sight of Earth, Betelgeuse’s brightness returned to normal in April 2020. Explanations for the phenomenon visible from Earth had nothing to do with a supernova. Nevertheless, it is already certain that the red supergiant Betelgeuse will one day end up in a supernova. If at some point the star runs out of material for nuclear fusion, it will collapse under its own weight and explode.
| Red supergiant |
| Orion (linker Schulterstern) |
| about 650 light years |
| about 8 million years |
| about 3300 degrees Celsius |
Star Betelgeuse is getting brighter – is a supernova imminent?
In the past few weeks, the brightness of the star Betelgeuse has increased by more than 50 percent from its normal magnitude, again Scientific American reported. Of course, this attracts the attention of people who observe the starry sky professionally or privately. Many hope for a spectacular starburst. In fact, in astronomical terms, the Betelgeuse supernova is imminent. “We know Betelgeuse is going to explode soon, but ‘soon’ is somewhere in the next 10,000 to 100,000 years,” astrophysicist Jared Goldberg told the Scientific American.
Betelgeuse is about 900 times the radius of the Sun. Experts have calculated that if the star eventually explodes as a supernova, it will be an unmissable spectacle. “What we would see is Betelgeuse getting really bright — 10,000, 100,000 times brighter than normal — over a period of a week,” Goldberg explains. The star would shine as brightly as the crescent moon in the sky for about three months – it would be so bright that shadows should be cast at night. The supernova should also be visible in the daytime sky for about a year, and at night it should be visible to the naked eye for several years.
Red supergiant Betelgeuse: Supernova poses no threat to Earth
Fortunately, the star Betelgeuse is far enough from Earth that the massive explosion in space shouldn’t harm the blue planet. Nevertheless, research expects consequences: “The sky would change dramatically and it would be visible to everyone – that would cause a really big reaction all over the world,” says astronomer Bryan Penprase with certainty.
Star Betelgeuse is still too young for a supernova
But based on Betelgeuse’s brightness, color, size and estimated age of the star, experts believe there is still enough helium to be fused into carbon inside the star. If helium is no longer available, carbon is converted into oxygen – until the core can no longer generate any more energy and collapses under its own weight. Viewed in human terms, it will probably be a long time until then – probably nobody who witnessed the “great blackout” of Betelgeuse will witness the explosion of the star.
A research team developed a kind of “early warning system” for a supernova last year. The most important criterion: If a red supergiant gets 100 times darker within a few months and ultimately disappears completely, according to the research group you should take a closer look: Then the supernova is imminent. At Betelgeuse, however, the team does not see this danger in the foreseeable future. (tab)
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