Скачать или смотреть Is Betelgeuse About to Explode? The Real Science Behind the Red Supergiant

Betelgeuse is a massive red supergiant star located about 550 light-years away in the constellation Orion. Nearing the final stages of its life, the star has exhausted much of its nuclear fuel, leading to surface instability, mass loss, and brightness variations—all normal behavior for stars of its size and age.

Despite widespread speculation, Betelgeuse is not expected to explode anytime soon. Stellar evolution models indicate its eventual supernova is likely tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of years away. When it does occur, the explosion will be bright enough to be visible in daylight, yet completely harmless to Earth due to the star’s distance.

By studying Betelgeuse, astronomers gain rare insight into late-stage stellar evolution, helping refine models of how massive stars live, shed material, and ultimately seed the galaxy with heavy elements essential for planets and life.

Sources: NASA, ESO, Hubble Space Telescope, Astronomy & Astrophysics, Astrophysical Journal

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