Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse
Credit & Copyright:
A. Dupree (CfA),
R. Gilliland (STScI),
NASA
Explanation:
Betelgeuse
(sounds a lot like "beetle juice"),
a red supergiant star about 600 light years distant, is seen in
this Hubble Space Telescope image
-- the first direct
picture of the surface of a star other than
the Sun.
A bright, as yet unexplained hotspot is revealed on its surface!
While Betelgeuse is
cooler than the Sun,
it is more massive and over 1000 times larger.
If placed at the center of
our Solar System,
it would extend past the orbit of
Jupiter.
Betelgeuse is also known as Alpha Orionis, one of the
brightest stars
in the familar constellation of
Orion, the Hunter.
Like many star names,
Betelgeuse is
Arabic in origin. It is derived from a phrase which
refers to the hunter's shoulder
or armpit, the general area occupied by this star in drawings of the
figure in
the constellation.
As a massive red supergiant, it is
nearing the end of its life and will soon become a
supernova.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
