surface mass ejection (SME) tagged posts

One of the Brightest Stars in the Sky is Evolving and Dying Before our Eyes

Four panels of artistic drawing of Betelgeuse. First panel, a small burst on the surface of the star is seen. On the 2nd, the material has begun to leave the star, the 3rd shows the material dark as it cools, and the 4th is the star back to normal
Artist’s impression of the aftermath of the SME, with the mass cooling and forming a cloud of dust which dimmed the star for a short period of time. The plot below outlines the real and expected brightness changes of Betelgeuse during this time. Credits: NASA, ESA, Elizabeth Wheatley (STScI)

Nothing lasts forever, including the stars in our night sky. One of the brighter and more notable stars in our sky is Betelgeuse, the bright red supergiant in the shoulder of Orion.

In late 2019, astronomers around the world grew giddy with excitement, because we saw this giant star get fainter than we’ve ever seen it before. Since Betelgeuse is at the end stages of its life, there was some speculation this might be a death rattle before the end.

But the cause of the “great dimming” wasn’t ...

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