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Sara Webb, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology

One of the brightest stars in the sky is evolving and dying before our eyes

Infrared light emitted by dust around Betelgeuse in December 2019. ESO/P. Kervella/M. Montargès et al., Acknowledgement: Eric Pantin, CC BY

Nothing lasts forever, including the stars in our night sky. One of the brighter and more notable stars in our sky is Betelgeuse, the bright red supergiant in the shoulder of Orion.

In late 2019, astronomers around the world grew giddy with excitement, because we saw this giant star get fainter than we’ve ever seen it before. Since Betelgeuse is at the end stages of its life, there was some speculation this might be a death rattle before the end.

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