The bright red star Betelgeuse, called ‘Thiruvathirai’ or ‘Ardra’ in Indian astronomy, is easily spotted in the constellation Orion.
By examining its pulsation – the periodic contraction and expansion of the star – researchers from Japan and Switzerland recently reported that the star is in its late carbon-burning stage. In massive stars like Betelgeuse, the carbon-burning stage lasts only up to a few hundreds of years, after which the star ‘dies’ and collapses into a supernova within a few months.
In humans, slow or abnormal heartbeats indicate a possible blockage of the heart. Likewise, the researchers say Betelgeuse’s observed pulsation matches theoretical estimates from a late carbon-burning stage, suggesting the red supergiant is in its death throes.
