Betelgeuse is the ninth brightest star in the night sky and the second brightest in the constellation of Orion. It is also known by its official name or Bayer designation “alpha Orionis”. This is often shortened to alpha-Orionis or alpha ori. The star’s name is derived from the Arabic Yad al-Jauzā, which means “the hand of Orion”. It refers to the star’s position in the Orion constellation.
Classification
The star is classified as a red supergiant. It is one of the largest and most luminous observable stars. If Betelgeuse were in the solar system in place of the Sun, its surface would extend past the asteroid belt. It would possibly extend to the orbit of Jupiter and beyond. The resulting mass would be completely engulfing Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. Betelgeuse has a mass estimated to be around 30 times that of the Sun.
Variable brightness
It is one of the stars with greatly varying brightness. Sir John Herschel, in Outlines of Astronomy, first described the variation in Betelgeuse’s brightness in 1836. This makes it easy to spot and identify with the naked eye. It also has a distinctive reddish-orange color.
Eventual fate
Its fate depends on its mass. This is a critical factor that is not well understood. The most likely scenario is that the supergiant will continue to burn and fuse elements until its core is iron, at which point Betelgeuse will explode as a type II supernova. As of 2014, the most recent theory suggests that it will explode as a supernova within 1,00,000 years. The event is expected to leave a neutron star 20 km in diameter.
Compiled by: Madhurani Chavan