Dying Betelgeuse star ‘will shine as bright as Moon’ and will be ‘visible in day’ as experts predict upcoming supernova
ONE of the most famous stars in the sky could be on its way to a supernova as experts have revealed new details in a recent study.
Researchers from Tohoku University and the University of Geneva conducted a recent study on a the star that forms Orion’s right shoulder.
The specialists think Betelgeuse could have just a few decades before it reaches supernova and explodes.
If this were to happen, it will change our view of the night sky forever.
The Orion constellation will never look the same.
Star gazers would also be able to witness the supernova event because it would be so bright.
At first, the star is predicted to also change the sky during daytime.
When Betelgeuse turns into a supernova, some scientists think it will be the third brightest object in the sky.
The only objects brighter will be the Sun and the full Moon.
It should shine as bright as the half Moon for about three months.
Betelgeuse will then fade to its current brightness and after six months it won’t be visible at all, according to experts.
There are also experts who think the star will be as bright as the full Moon but concentrated to a single point.
Post-doctoral fellow and Betelgeuse expert Miguel Montargès told Space.com: “When it happens, the star will become as bright as the full moon, except that it will be concentrated in a single point.
“For maybe two months, it will be so bright that if you shut down all the lights in a city and have no clouds, you would be able to read a book in the light of the supernova.
“It will be so bright that it will be visible in the daylight, too. There will be another star shining in the sky during the day.”
Betelgeuse is located a little more than 650 light-years from Earth.
To put that into perspective, one light-year is equivalent to 6trillion miles.
Its supernova is not expected to have a negative impact on our planet as the star is so far away.