Astronomy Picture of the Day [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2020 January 1 [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available. Betelgeuse Imagined Illustration Credit: [3]ESO, [4]L. Calcada Explanation: Why is Betelgeuse fading? No one knows. [5]Betelgeuse, one of the brightest and [6]most recognized stars in the night sky, is only [7]half as bright as it used to be only five months ago. Such variability is likely just [8]normal behavior for this famously variable [9]supergiant, but the recent dimming has rekindled discussion on how long it may be before [10]Betelgeuse does go supernova. Known for its red color, [11]Betelgeuse is one of the few stars to be [12]re[13]solved by modern telescopes, although only barely. The [14]featured artist's illustration imagines how [15]Betelgeuse might look up close. [16]Betelgeuse is thought to have a [17]complex and [18]tumultuous surface that frequently throws impressive flares. Were it to replace the Sun ([19]not recommended), its surface would extend out near the orbit of [20]Jupiter, while gas plumes would bubble out past [21]Neptune. Since [22]Betelgeuse is about 700 light years away, its eventual supernova will not endanger life on Earth even though [23]its brightness may rival that of a full Moon. Astronomers -- both amateur and professional -- will surely [24]continue to monitor Betelgeuse as this new decade unfolds. Free Presentation: [25]APOD Editor to show best astronomy images of 2019 -- and the decade -- in NYC on January 3 Tomorrow's picture: open space __________________________________________________________________ [26]< | [27]Archive | [28]Submissions | [29]Index | [30]Search | [31]Calendar | [32]RSS | [33]Education | [34]About APOD | [35]Discuss | [36]> __________________________________________________________________ Authors & editors: [37]Robert Nemiroff ([38]MTU) & [39]Jerry Bonnell ([40]UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman [41]Specific rights apply. [42]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: [43]ASD at [44]NASA / [45]GSFC & [46]Michigan Tech. U. References 1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix2015.html 2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2001/BetelgeuseImagined_EsoCalcada_2662.jpg 3. https://www.eso.org/ 4. https://luiscalcada.com/about 5. https://www.aavso.org/vsots_alphaori 6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6Y4UoPVDH8 7. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2001/AlphaOriLightCurve_AAVSO.jpg 8. https://www.aavso.org/sites/default/files/images/LTbetelgeuse.jpg 9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supergiant_star 10. https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/dont-panic-betelgeuse-is-almost-certainly-not-about-to-explode 11. https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2019/12/25/is-betelgeuse-about-to-explode/ 12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100106.html 13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betelgeuse#/media/File:Betelgeuse_captured_by_ALMA.jpg 14. https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso0927d/ 15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap180321.html 16. https://www.universetoday.com/144465/waiting-for-betelgeuse-whats-up-with-the-tempestuous-star/ 17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap001222.html 18. https://www.astro.uu.se/~bf/movie/dst35gm04n26/movie.html 19. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yzPdCk_Kc30/UcsbcNxTCKI/AAAAAAAAB-I/9bTfzfm9KKw/s1600/scared_cat_is_really_scared-e1349731123898.jpg 20. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/jupiter/overview/ 21. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/neptune/overview/ 22. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betelgeuse 23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap190821.html 24. https://www.aavso.org/lcg 25. http://asterisk.apod.com/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=40052 26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap191231.html 27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix2015.html 28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html 29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html 30. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search 31. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html 32. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss 33. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html 34. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html 35. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=200101 36. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200102.html 37. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html 38. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/ 39. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html 40. http://www.astro.umd.edu/ 41. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 42. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html 43. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/ 44. https://www.nasa.gov/ 45. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/ 46. http://www.mtu.edu/