Object Analysis

Betelgeuse is a red supergiant of spectral type M1-2 and one of the largest stars visible to the naked eye. It is usually the tenth-brightest star in the night sky and, after Rigel, the second-brightest in the constellation of Orion. It marks the upper left shoulder of the hunter.

If Betelgeuse were at the center of the Solar System, its surface would extend past the asteroid belt, engulfing the orbits of Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, and possibly Jupiter. It is a semiregular variable star whose magnitude varies between 0.0 and 1.3.

In late 2019, Betelgeuse underwent "The Great Dimming," dropping in brightness significantly. Observations later revealed this was caused by a massive ejection of surface material that cooled into a dust cloud, blocking the star's light. It is expected to explode as a supernova within the next 100,000 years.