2023-06-17 07:37:29
Betelgeuse attracted the attention of the whole world during the years 2019 and 2020, when its brightness suddenly decreased twice in a row.
Betelgeuse has been getting brighter lately in the rate of 50%, which revived speculation that it might explode soon, not only in the sky, but in the arena of research and public discussion as well. No wonder this famous star is one of the brightest stars in the sky, and it is located in the constellation of Orion, which is considered one of the most important features of winter.
Betelgeuse joins a class of stars called the Red Supergiant, which means that Betelgeuse is already at the end of its life, and the nuclear fusion reactions in its nucleus are nearing completion.
It is expected – according to astrophysics – that a star of this size and at this stage of its life will explode one day when the fusion reactions stop in its nucleus, and it turns into a supernova that we see clearly on Earth, but of course we remain at a safe distance from an explosion of this huge size.
Scientific bewilderment
Betelgeuse attracted the attention of the whole world during the years 2019 and 2020, when its brightness suddenly decreased twice in a row. However, a study published in the journalThe Astrophysical Journal Letters” The Astrophysical Journal Letters in March 2020 had indicated that the first decrease in the brightness of Betelgeuse was due to a huge cloud of dust that passed in front of this star.
but New research paper accepted for publication In The Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomy Society, the authors say that Betelgeuse is likely to be the next supernova in the Milky Way.
According to the study – which relied on data from several telescopes, including the European Space Agency’s Herschel Space Observatory – Betelgeuse is in the last stage of primary carbon burning, and is, accordingly, a good candidate for a nearby supernova.
star layers
And to understand that idea we can learn a little bit regarding Nuclear fusion In the interior of stars, which means that two atoms merge together to make a different atom, and with this interaction a huge amount of energy comes out.
And the beginning of the life of the star begins with the fusion of two hydrogen atoms, and they turn into a helium atom, and following the hydrogen runs out, the stars begin to merge helium and convert it into other elements, such as carbon and oxygen, then neon, magnesium and silicon, following that we reach iron.
And at the end of their lives, giant stars resemble the layers of an onion, each layer of which contains a specific element, but when the star reaches the iron stage, this means that it will explode immediately because it cannot continue in nuclear fusion.
And our presence in the carbon stage – according to the study – means that Betelgeuse is on the verge of exploding, because the next steps are usually short in time, which suggests, according to the researchers, that this giant star might explode soon.
But despite this, the study indicates astronomically that “soon” may be several tens of years.
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