- Betelgeuse started appearing fainter in October and has been dimming since
- Astronomers say this is the faintest it has been in five decades of observations
- The fact it has become dimmer could suggest it is preparing to go supernova
- This could take up to 100,000 years and so doesn't mean it will happen now
If it were at the centre of the Solar System in place of the Sun its surface would engulf the inner planets from Mercury to Mars and possibly even Jupiter
If it does go supernova, as some scientists predict, it will appear much brighter than Venus when looked at by the naked eye - says data scientist Jason Baumgartne.
'Venus has an apparent magnitude of -4.4. Betelgeuse going super nova would probably get to around -12.4 apparent magnitude.
'Imagine looking at Venus in the sky but it was over 1,500 times brighter. That's how bright Betelgeuse would appear.
This is a direct image showing the photosphere of Betelgeuse. The bright, very large start on Orion's Belt has been 'baffling scientists' as it appears to be much fainter than usual - suggesting it might go supernova.
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