Betelgeuse Is Getting Oddly Brighter, Prompting Speculations It Is About to Go Supernova

A renowned star in the Orion constellation called Betelgeuse has shown some unexpected behavior by becoming bright again.

In late 2019, astronomers observed Betelgeuse suddenly dimmed by about 60% and stayed that way for a few months, a phenomenon now dubbed as "The Great Dimming."

There are now speculations regarding a possible end of life for the red supergiant star by exploding into nothingness, a natural process known as a supernova.

This unusual behavior of the star, one of the largest visible to the naked eye, is now catching the attention of the space community, as it has become brighter in the cosmos for months now.

Betelgeuse Is Brighter Than Expected, Based on Recent Tracking

On May 20, the famed Betelgeuse Status Twitter account, which monitors the behavior of the star that is 642 light-years away from Earth, claimed that the red supergiant star has recently brightened as much as 142 percent.

Betelgeuse is known to be close to its galactic supernova after multiple studies regarding its carbon build-up, which indicates when a star is about to explode. The change in the brightness of the nearest red star to the planet has fueled multiple debates regarding its state.

Betelgeuse is a candidate for supernova, but there are still conflicting studies behind it. The star's recent brightening indicates that the star is still behaving mysteriously.

Is Betelgeuse Going on a Supernova Explosion Soon?

University of Manchester's Albert Zijlstra, a Professor of Astrophysics, has recently regarded Betelgeuse as a "variable star," meaning it would have periods of dim lighting and brightening again. He argued that an upcoming supernova explosion is highly unlikely because of its nature.

However, other reports, including one from Space.com, have speculated about the huge red-tinged star's imminent explosion, saying it is now fusing helium into carbon and oxygen, which is a phase in a star's life that last hundreds of thousands of years and follows the star's death through a supernova explosion. For now, astronomers remain torn about the future of the Betelgeuse.

Betelgeuse: What Is it and What's the Fuzz?

The Betelgeuse is one of the most prominent stars in the night sky as it is easy to spot with its glowing red color near the famous Orion's Belt formation. It is known as the "overworked star" and has long existed in space. Researchers who believe it is nearing its end of life soon also notice that it is closer to the Earth by 25 percent.

Last year, data from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope revealed that the red supergiant star slightly blew its top in 2019, losing a substantial part of its visible surface and producing a gigantic surface mass ejection. After that, NASA said the bright red star was still slowly recovering from this catastrophic event.

Since its discovery, the star in the Orion constellation has provided researchers with much information about red supergiants and other stars in the universe. Since becoming bright again, the Betelgeuse became the brightest star in Orion for a few days this year - brighter than we have ever seen it.