It gives us a rare opportunity to study what happens to stars like this before they explode," added Dr Joyce. Watch Live. Scientists figure out when red supergiant Betelgeuse will go supernova The stellar explosion will be so bright it will be visible during the day for the best part of a year, researchers say.
Fill 2 Copy 11 Created with Sketch. Saturday 17 October , UK. This ultraviolet image shows a bright spot on the star that is 3, degrees F 2, degrees C hotter than the rest of the surface. The picture on the right shows the constellation Orion, with Betelgeuse marked by a yellow cross.
Now That's Interesting. It is pronounced "Beetlejuice" much like the movie. How long does Betelgeuse have left? Although some astronomers believe Betelgeuse is on the verge of going supernova, no one knows exactly when it will happen. What happens if Betelgeuse explodes? Andy Howell, staff astronomer at the Las Cumbres Observatory and a physicist at the University of California, says that when Betelgeuse goes supernova "[i]t could get about as bright at the quarter moon — so bright you could read by it at night.
Is Betelgeuse hotter than the sun? While Betelguese is bigger, it's actually cooler than the sun. According to Scholastic , the surface of the sun is about 5, degrees Kelvin, or 10, degrees Fahrenheit, while Betelguese is around 3, degrees K, or 5, degrees F.
How big is Betelgeuse compared to the sun? Cite This! Try Our Sudoku Puzzles! More Awesome Stuff. Most recently, Hubble checked in on the star in February; the last of the allotted observations will occur in April, Dupree said, although she plans to request additional time with Hubble given the star's recent activity. But Betelgeuse is a tricky target; from late April to late August, it is too close to the sun in our skies for Hubble and ground-based instruments to see it, Dupree said.
That's particularly inconvenient given that the star's usual cycle of about days would put it at its dimmest just as humans can't see it. When the sun blocks Betelgeuse from Earth, the spacecraft has a clear view of the star. The spacecraft will make another four or five such observations this summer, after Hubble's last opportunity to see the star this spring.
Whether Betelgeuse fades or not, Dupree and her colleagues will be watching, eager to home in on the star's secrets. Email Meghan Bartels at mbartels space. Follow us on Twitter Spacedotcom and on Facebook. Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community space. Meghan is a senior writer at Space. As their nuclear fuel runs out near the ends of their lives, red supergiant stars start to bloat and form growing envelopes of gas and dust.
Red supergiant stars also have enormous convective cells on their surfaces — like much larger versions of those on our Sun — where turbulence makes hot material rise from inside the star. Once it reaches the surface, part of that material erupts violently into space like a giant, radioactive belch, which can temporarily change its brightness.
Whatever the root cause, the strange behavior should ultimately offer new insights into the dying days of red supergiant stars. And humanity will have a front-row seat. Receive news, sky-event information, observing tips, and more from Astronomy's weekly email newsletter. View our Privacy Policy. By signing up you may also receive reader surveys and occasional special offers. We do not sell, rent or trade our email lists. Login or Register Customer Service. RISE —. PHASE —. Tonight's Sky — Change location.
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