All About The Dimming Red Giant Star
Facts about the red giant star and where to find it are explained by Space.com's Chelsea Gohd. [Betelgeuse: The Eventual Supernova]
Credit: Space.com / produced & edited by Steve / Chelsea Gohd / Judi Stroh
Credit: Space.com / produced & edited by Steve / Chelsea Gohd / Judi Stroh
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00:00Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice.
00:03No, I'm not talking about the ghoulish star of the hit film from 1988.
00:08I'm talking about the other Beetlejuice star.
00:13Beetlejuice is one of the brightest stars in our night sky.
00:21It's relatively close to Earth at just 642.5 light years away.
00:27And it's seriously massive.
00:29About 20 times the mass of our Sun.
00:33Astronomers have been observing the star for decades.
00:36But while observing the star in late 2019, some astronomers noticed that it was seriously
00:42dimming and fast.
00:44Now, every star will one day die in a fiery explosion known as a supernova.
00:50And being approximately 8.5 million years old, some astronomers thought that Beetlejuice,
00:55a star with a life expectancy of about 9 million years, might just be dimming in preparation
01:01for its demise.
01:02However, in speaking with scientists and astronomers about the star's strange behavior, it seems
01:08as though it's likely that Beetlejuice isn't preparing for its fiery end.
01:13It could just be going through an especially dim period.
01:16In fact, many astronomers think that Beetlejuice might not explode for another 100,000 years.
01:22Still, whether or not Beetlejuice is preparing to go supernova, astronomers and sky watchers
01:28all over the globe suggest that people still look up to observe the star as it goes through
01:34these strange changes.
01:36So how can you spot Beetlejuice in the night sky?
01:39Well, if you live in the northern hemisphere, look south.
01:43And vice versa, if you live in the southern hemisphere, look north.
01:46And you'll see the constellation Orion.
01:49On the upper left of the constellation, right at Orion's shoulder, you should be able to
01:53spot an orange-reddish star.
01:56That's Beetlejuice.
01:58So whether the famous star goes supernova tonight, tomorrow, or in 100,000 years, it's
02:05always fun to watch it glow and dim in the night sky.
02:10With Space.com, I'm Chelsea Goad.
02:13Stay tuned right here to keep up to date with all things space and to see whether or not
02:18this strange star will explode.