Betelgeuse, a red supergiant star at a distance of 724 lightyears from the Earth is nearly 50 percent brighter than usual, leading astronomers to suggest that the star may explode in a violent supernova within tens of years.
About Betelgeuse:
Betelgeuse is a red supergiant star that forms the left shoulder of the constellation of Orion.
It is one of the brightest stars in the night sky and one of the largest stars ever discovered.
The star is approximately 650 light-years from Earth.
It is one of the largest known stars, measuring more than 700 million miles (1.2 billion kilometres) in diameter, 764 times as large as the Sun.
It is known for its periodic dimming and brightening up.
What is a Supernova?
A supernova is the name given to the cataclysmic explosion of a massive star.
They are the largest explosion that takes place in space.
A star can go supernova in one of two ways:
Type I supernova: Star accumulates matter from a nearby neighbour until a runaway nuclear reaction ignites.
Type II supernova:Star runs out of nuclear fueland collapses under its own gravity.
It can emit more energy in a few seconds than our sun will radiate in its lifetime of billions of years.
They're also the primary source of heavy elements in the universe.
On average, a supernova will occur once every 50 years in a galaxy the size of the Milky Way.
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