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The Incredible Shrinking Star,
Betelgeuse!
By Amelia Dormer
Location
Betelgeuse, called Alpha Orionis, is a star
that makes up Orion’s shoulder in the
east. It is 430 light years away from our
solar system! It still shines bright in our sky
at a magnitude of 0.5. Magnitude being
the brightness of a star or celstial being.
Features
• Betelgeuse is a red giant. It is over 1000
times bigger than the sun. Being a
reddish-yellowish color it is between 3,500
K and 5,500 K. Right now it is about 3650
K. It shines usually at a magnitude of 0.7.
Scale of Betelgeuse Compared
to the Planets and Sun
Life Cycle
• Betelgeuse started out as a nebula. The
nebula collapsed and became a proto sun.
This protosun was about 10 to 50,000 K.
After thousands of years Betelgeuse
turned a yellow color, about 5,500 K. Now
it is between the yellow and bright red
stage.
Discovery
• In 1995 the Hubble’s telescope discovered
Betelgeuse. It has been noticed before but
never named. In 1836 Sir John Frederick
William Hersche noticed that Betelgeuse
had changed in brightness.
Future of Betelgeuse
• Betelgeuse is almost to the end of its
period as a star. All stars get to a point
where they become red giants
(Betelgeuse now). Then they shrink to
white dwarfs and then the last stage is a
black dwarf.
The Shrinking Star
• Betelgeuse has substantially shrank from
1993. It has shrunk 15% since then and
scientist know it’s life is almost over.
Betelgeuse used to be about the size of
our solar system. Now it is the size of
Jupiter's orbit.
Different Views of Betelgeuse
Betelgeuse Today
• This is Betelgeuse
Today
• Scientists think that
Betelgeuse might
become a supernova
at the end of its life.
• Plumes of gas are
coming off
Betelgeuse now that it
is getting to the end of
its life
Bibliography
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