I've been following this story for a while now. It appears that the star Betelgeuse, a red giant and one of the brightest stars in the Orion constellation, has been dimming since last October. It has been known to be somewhat variable in the past, but is now reaching a modern all-time low of +1.37 mag on January 6th. Currently this is the faintest the star has been during our 25+ years of continuous monitoring of it's brightness. Not long ago, Betelgeuse was the 10th brightest star in the sky. Now it is the 21st.
For now, astronomers think this is just a stronger than usual dimming. However, it is known that Betelgeuse is running out of fuel and entering the final phase of it's life, since such stars do not have a long life relative to more normal stars, such as our sun. Astronomers suspect Betelgeuse will go supernova relatively soon, although it could be another million years or so. It is thought that Betelgeuse will go into a dimming phase before it goes supernova, so it is something to keep an eye on for sure. When Betelgeuse does go supernova, it will be a spectacular sight, lighting up the night sky in a similar fashion to the full moon.
For now, astronomers think this is just a stronger than usual dimming. However, it is known that Betelgeuse is running out of fuel and entering the final phase of it's life, since such stars do not have a long life relative to more normal stars, such as our sun. Astronomers suspect Betelgeuse will go supernova relatively soon, although it could be another million years or so. It is thought that Betelgeuse will go into a dimming phase before it goes supernova, so it is something to keep an eye on for sure. When Betelgeuse does go supernova, it will be a spectacular sight, lighting up the night sky in a similar fashion to the full moon.
