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No one knows when it actually will become a supernova but it will take hundreds of years for the light to reach us It could be anytime. Betelgeuse is about 640 light years away. So it could have exploded anytime since 1370 (The year when the first steel crossbow was used in war) and we still wouldn't know it. Astronomers believe that the supernova from Betelgeuse will be observable by human civilization.
It has recently been reported to have shrunk in diameter by 15% since 1993. It would seem that it is "pulsing", expanding and then contacting. A sure sign of a star at the end of its life.
Betelgeuse is estimated at 20 solar masses and rather old, between 3.5 and 6 million years, for such a heavy weight.
When Betelgeuse does explode, it will create a new major object in the winter sky. A planetary nebula will replace Betelgeuse as the shoulder star of Orion. Because of its orientation, it is unlikely to cause any major effect on Earth.
Some doomsayers have said that Betelgeuse will explode in 2012 - if this is the case, we won't know until the year 2652.
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoBetelgeuse is thought that it could explode within the next 1000 years, although it is even possible that it already has. As it is over 600 light years from us, we would not know that it had done until over 600 years after the event.
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoFrom our viewpoint on earth it hasn't yet, but since light takes 643 years or so to reach us from this star, there is a chance that it may have done so. This huge red supergiant star is nearing the end of it's life, when it finally explodes as a supernova, we will see a very bright spot in the Orion constellation for a day or so. Astronomers have seen a lot of variability in the stars brightness recently, indicating that it might be on it's way out soon. 'soon' in astronomical terms could mean another several thousand years though.
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoBetelgeuse is about 640 light years away, so it might have gone supernova any time after about 1370 AD, and we wouldn't know about it yet. That's because the light of the explosion would still be on its way to us. As of April 20, 2010, we have not seen any indication that Betelgeuse has exploded, and believe me, we would ALL have noticed!
Betelgeuse is a very large and massive star. Big stars "live fast and die young", so even though it is only about 10 million years old, astronomers believe that it is nearing the end of its life. Very massive stars like Betelgeuse typically die violent deaths in supernova explosions, and when this happens, it will be the second brightest object in the sky, after the Sun. It will probably outshine the Moon! You will certainly be able to see it even in the daytime. Astronomers expect this to happen "any time", but "any time" to an astronomer means any time within the next 10,000 years or so, so I don't expect it to happen tomorrow.
But don't worry; 640 light years away is almost certainly far enough away to be a safe distance for viewing the fireworks!
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoNo- Not as far as I know. It should still be in the sky... And even if it has at 600 light years away you won't see anything for a good amount of years. :-)
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoNo it isn't. If you want to find it , it is in the Midwestern sky and is diagonally left above the constellation Orion'.
Wiki User
∙ 10y agoYes, it is predicted to be as bright as the moon for a couple weeks when it explodes, which would be visible quite easily.
Wiki User
∙ 9y agoDefinetly but what kind,
Wiki User
∙ 8y agoNo. Betelgeuse is a star.
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Is Betelgeuse a dwarf planet?
Betelgeuse is a supergiant star.
Is Betelgeuse a yellow star?
No, Betelgeuse is a red star.
What type of supernova will Betelgeuse be?
Betelgeuse will be a Type II Supernova.
What did Betelgeuse have anything to do with beetles or juice?
Betelgeuse has nothing to do with beetles or with juice.
Which planet is called the side ways planet?
Its called planet Uranus
What planet is bigger then Betelgeuse?
No planet could ever come close to the size of Betelgeuse.
Is Betelgeuse a dwarf planet?
Betelgeuse is a supergiant star.
Is there a planet called Bugjuice?
No, you are probably thinking of the star named Betelgeuse (pronounced Beetle-Juice).
What planet has a moon named betelgeuse?
None of them. Betelgeuse is a red giant star.
Is bettlejuice a planet?
No. Betelgeuse is a star.
Is there a star called betelgeuse?
Yes, there is a star named Betelgeuse. Betelgeuse is a red star located on the constellation of Orion.
What do you call a planet outside the solar system?
A planet: a large body that orbits a star, is called a planet whether it orbits the star that we call the Sun, or whether it orbits the star Betelgeuse. (Too bad for any planets orbiting Betelgeuse . . . it is getting ready to explode in a huge supernova, soon. ("Soon" in astronomy means sometimes in the next hundred thousands of years.))
Is Betelgeuse a star?
Yes. Betelgeuse is a kind of star called a red supergiant.
What is color of betelgeuse?
It is red. Betelgeuse is called a red hypergiant, which is nearing its death.
Is Mars the same as Betelgeuse?
No, Mars is a red rocky planet in our solar system, Betelgeuse is a red giant star about 640 light years away.
Could the star betelgeuse have a planet harbouring life?
No. Betelgeuse is about 10 million years old, which is very young in terms stellar age and is barely enough time for a planet to form. Any planet so young would still be red hot from its formation. Despite being a young star, Betelgeuse is already dying as it has burned through the hydrogen in its core very quickly and has expanded into a red supergiant much brighter than it previously was. If a planet near Betelgeuse was the right temperature for life before the expansion, it would be too hot now.
How can Betelgeuse look so bright?
Betelgeuse is bright because it is a huge star known as a red supergiant. If it was where our sun was, it would be big enough to extend out beyond the planet Mars.
