Betelgeuse
Discover amazing facts about Betelgeuse, the enormous red supergiant star that forms Orion's shoulder and might explode soon
Betelgeuse is a massive red supergiant star that appears orange-red and varies in brightness
Betelgeuse is one of the most famous stars in the night sky and forms the distinctive red shoulder of Orion the Hunter! This enormous red supergiant star is so huge that if it replaced our Sun, it would swallow up Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars - its surface would reach almost to Jupiter's orbit! Betelgeuse appears reddish-orange to the naked eye, making it easy to spot among Orion's other blue-white stars.
What makes Betelgeuse really exciting is that it's a "variable star," meaning its brightness changes over time. Sometimes it's the tenth brightest star in our sky, and other times it dims significantly. Scientists think Betelgeuse is nearing the end of its life and could explode as a spectacular supernova sometime in the next 100,000 years. When it does explode, it will briefly outshine the entire rest of our galaxy and be visible during the day for weeks!
