Betelgeuse: The Red Supergiant That Might Explode

Betelgeuse is a red supergiant star located in the constellation Orion, marking the hunter’s shoulder.
It’s so massive that if placed at the center of our solar system, it would extend past Jupiter’s orbit.
Betelgeuse shines with a reddish hue, easily visible to the naked eye from Earth.
The star is roughly 700 times larger than the Sun in diameter.
Betelgeuse is nearing the end of its life and will eventually explode as a supernova.
A supernova from Betelgeuse could briefly outshine the full Moon in Earth’s sky.
The star is about 642 light-years away, so any changes we see happened centuries ago.
In late 2019, Betelgeuse mysteriously dimmed, sparking speculation of an imminent explosion.
Scientists now believe the dimming was caused by a giant cloud of dust ejected from the star.
When it does explode, Betelgeuse will leave behind either a neutron star or possibly a black hole.