BetelgeuseAmeenah Elam

About The NameArabic for "shoulder of the giant". Could also mean "hand of al-jauza" where al-jauza is the Arabs' "Central One". Also known as the Martial Star.

The Fame!

Betelgeuse was the first star seen as a sphere instead of a point of light by the Hubble Space Telescope on March 3, 1995.

Possibly will be the very next supernova in our galaxy.

Did you know?

Betelgeuse is one of the biggest stars that sits in Orion.

Only 9 other stars that appears brighter than Betelgeuse, making it the 10th brightest star in the sky

Since it’s in its dying stage, it will soon become a supernova.

Its SizeThis Red Supergiant is about 13,000 times brighter and over 1,000 times larger than our sun.

It’s also around 15 times the mass of the Sun and about 650 times its diameter.

More FactsBetelgeuse gives off 50,000 times more light than the Sun.

Plus, it’s 500 to 640 light years from Earth.

Magnitude and Temperature

Betelgeuse’s apparent magnitude is .06 to .75.

Its absolute magnitude is -5.6.

It’s been reported in the last decade that it has surface temperatures between 3,500 to 3,600K.

The LifeWhile our Sun will last another 6 billion years, Betelgeuse will be lucky to last another 100,000.

Dying StarThe super-giant red star Betelgeuse in Orion’s nebula is predicted to cataclysmically explode, and the impending supernova may even reach Earth -- someday.

“This old star is running out of fuel in its center,” Carter told News.com.au. “This fuel keeps Betelgeuse shining and supported. When this fuel runs out the star will literally collapse in upon itself and it will do so very quickly.”

However, these are only theories.

Betelgeuse In Fiction

Betelgeuse has been mentioned in a few movies such as:

The Sirens of Titan

Planet of the Apes

Dune

The Robots of Dawn

Calculating God

Betelgeuse Video

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xgrrs6_betelgeuse_tech

sourceshttp://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/01/21/betelgeuse-explode-scientists-say/

http://www.brighthub.com/science/space/articles/73193.aspx

http://space.about.com/od/stars/p/betelgeuseinfo.htm

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/01/21/betelgeuse-explode-scientists-say/#ixzz1sVl1oqQe

Sources (continued)

http://www.stock-space-images.com/CosmicComparisons/BetelgeuseFREE.jpg