2023-10-26 13:23:01
The great Betelgeuse dimming event in high resolution – ESO/J. DREVON ET AL.
MADRID, 26 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Astronomers have attributed the great dimming event that was recorded to the effect of dust clouds or a cold spot. the red supergiant star Betelgeuse four years ago.
Some then thought that the star, who is reaching the end of his lifewas about to explode and become a supernova.
A team led by Julien Drevon, Florentin Millour and Pierre Cruzalèbes from the Université Côte d’Azur (France) used the infrared instrument MATISSE on the interferometer of the Very Large Telescope (VLTI) of ESO (European Southern Observatory) to obtain high-resolution images of the star before, during and after the dimming event. The upper images show its “surface” or photosphere, while the lower ones trace silicon monoxide, a molecule that can act as a seed to form grains of dust.
This circumstance made the star appear dimmer to us in visible light, but brighter for MATISSE when the powder shines in infrared light. Furthermore, the changes in the structure of the photosphere and silicon monoxide are consistent “with both the formation of a cold spot on the surface of the star and the ejection of a dust cloud,” ESO reports in a statement.
The size of Betelgeuse in the sky is similar to that of a 1 euro coin seen from 100 kilometers away. The VLTI combines light from multiple telescopes to create a much larger “virtual” telescope that can discern small structures on Betelgeuse. Thanks to that, You can witness in detail how this massive star ages and evolves.
The study was published in the September issue of Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters.
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