Dimming of Betelgeuse Explained: It Sneezed

The dimming of Betelgeuse seen at the end of 2019 and the start of 2020 explained — the red giant star “sneezed.”

Betelgeuse dimmed in the final few months of 2019, perplexing both professional and amateur astronomers. First noted in October 2019, by February 2020, the star lost two-thirds of its brightness as seen from Earth.

Many astronomers — both professional and amateur — questioned if the change of light revealed the star was on the verge of exploding as a supernova. Now, the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) has been used to explain the mystery.

An artist’s impression of how material ejected from beneath the surface of Betelgeuse is likely responsible for significant dimming of the star as seen from Earth several months ago. Image credit: NASA/ESA/E. Wheatley (STScI)

On Astronomy News with The Cosmic Companion coming August 25, we talk with Dr. Andrea Dupree, who led this study. Make sure to tune in.

Easily found in the constellation Orion, Betelgeuse is one of the best-known of all stars in the night sky. This is an aging giant of a star, experiencing wild swings in size and temperature as it runs through a series of different thermonuclear reactions and gravitational collapse.

If Betelgeuse were placed at the center of our solar system, the edge of the star would engulf the orbits of every planet of the inner solar system out to Jupiter.

I Take a Dim View of Your Actions, Betelgeuse…