One of the cool things I found out while at Mt. John Observatory in Tekapo, NZ is that Betelgeuse (one of three stars in Orion’s Belt) has been dimming dramatically over the last few weeks. Now, it could ramp up activity, but so far all signs point to “no.”
Now, what does that mean? Well, it could indicate that Betelgeuse is about to go bye-bye in the most spectacular form of star destruction since A New Hope – a supernova!
Due to its size and distance from Earth, if it were to go supernova, it would light up the night’s sky like the moon for over a year. Aztecs and ancient civilizations have documented previous events, but modern society has yet to glimpse one of this prospective splendour.
When could this happen? Well, as The Atlantic’s article put it “The Biggest Celestial Event of the Year Could Happen Tomorrow…or in 100,000 Years.” So whilst we may enjoy it, it could also be appreciated by some alien form of humanity with three eyes. MORE SENSORS!
Stay tuned to see if Orion loosens a belt buckle.
