Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse
Being the tomboy in the family, one of my daily household
tasks was to take the trash and garbage out to the alley. The garbage went in the nasty smelling pail
to be picked up twice weekly by the Denver garbage men (yes, it was called “garbage,”
not “transfer,” and they were all, I promise you, men). The trash was to be dumped into the burn pit, a
large, brick construction, about three feet tall and four feet square. There was a hole about a foot in diameter in
the top, through which the trash went. Since
there was always a low, slow, slumbering fire in the pit it was a comfy place
even on the coldest Colorado winter nights.
I would crawl up on the top of the burn pit, dump in a fresh load of
fuel and lay down on the warm, brick top and enjoy the nighttime sky.
One of my
favorite constellations in that sky was Orion, the hunter. More than a clear, brilliant configuration of
stars, Orion was a friend I talked to every night. “Hello,
Orion. I’m still here.” This is the greeting I still share with my
celestial friend every time I see him.
Orion is a
winter constellation. Most people know what
it looks like. It is big, beautiful and characterized by the three stars making
up its belt. There is, within the giant’s
sword, a “star” which is really the spectacular Orion Nebula. The Nebula is a star nursery, where star
stuff is being drawn together gravitationally to make new stars. You can actually see the new young stars
forming in the Nebula. But there is one
star in Orion that is not being born. It
is not in the Nebula, but in the body of the constellation, and it is dying. Remarkably, we may be witnesses to that
death.
This dying star, the brightest in Orion, is
Betelgeuse. It is a red giant and represents
Orion’s right shoulder. [“Betelgeuse” is
an Arabic word that means “armpit of the giant.”] Right now, Betelgeuse, is turning into a cause
for astronomical concern, curiosity and constant observation. Betelgeuse
may be getting ready to explode—to go supernova. This would be a really big bang.
Betelgeuse is
usually easy to see because it is the 9th brightest star in the
sky. During the last month, this red
giant has dimmed to the faintest it has been in a century. Instead of being in the top ten of bright
stars, it has, in a brief month, dropped out of the top 20. This could be caused by a collapse of the
star which would be the precursor of the star going supernova. For us to witness this event would be
exciting but also astronomically significant.
A scientific buffet.
Betelgeuse is
a supergiant. It is so big, that if it
was where our sun is, we would be inside it.
In fact, every planet from Mercury to Jupiter would be inside the star
itself. It’s size and red color let us
know that this is a star that is late in its life. Astronomers have long thought that Betelgeuse
would go supernova soon. Unfortunately,
in astronomical terms “soon” means any time in the next 100,000 years. To have this hit in our lifetime would be a
treat. Obviously, from my anticipatory
and insouciant attitude, you can guess that a Betelgeuse supernova would have absolutely
no effect on Earth. It is some 650 light
years away. We are safe to enjoy the
show. And it will be quite a show.
Astronomers are expecting Betelgeuse
to keep getting dimmer throughout the month of January. If this is simply part of its oft-observed
periodic dimming, it should start to brighten again in February. But….if it does go, we would see a star
glowing so brightly that it would be visible by day, and bright enough to cast
shadows, like a full moon, at night.
Scientists
would love to see this supernova start to finish. Philosophers would like a celestial reason to
urge humans to superhuman deeds. From
bishop to pawn, kings, queens and knights might all see a lofty Earthly mission
in a Heavenly occurrence. Personally, I
will simply remind Orion, as I always have, that I am still here and that I still
keep the faith.
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