The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

Is the Betelgeuse star about to explode?

2020-02-19T18:35:50.701Z


Usually very bright, the red supergiant has lost two-thirds of its luster in recent months. Astronomers are trying to understand why.


In the coming days, months, years or centuries, the brightness of a single star in the sky could rival that of the entire full moon! This would require that the red supergiant Betelgeuse, located in the constellation of Orion, pass the weapon to the left in a formidable explosion called surpernova. Astronomers have absolutely no doubt that this will happen: all the stars of its mass (between 10 and 20 times that of the Sun) are predestined there. But the exact timing remains very uncertain. The star is dying, but it could collapse on itself as well tomorrow as in 100,000 years or more. And no warning sign should in principle prepare us for it.

To read also: Near us, a strange cosmic wave where stars are born

It is with these elements in mind that we must look at the latest news that comes from this cosmic neighbor, located about 700 light years away (for comparison, our galaxy is 2000 times larger than that). Since November,

This article is for subscribers only. You still have 81% to discover.

Subscribe: € 1 for 2 months

cancellable at any time

Enter your email

Already subscribed? Login

Source: lefigaro

All tech articles on 2020-02-19

You may like

Trends 24h

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.