• tedd_deireadh@lemmy.world
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    17 days ago

    You might be thinking of Betelgeuse, the red supergiant, but that one isn’t expected to go supernova for 100,000 years.

    Betelgeuse has evolved rapidly because of its large mass, and is expected to end its evolution with a supernova explosion, most likely within 100,000 years. When Betelgeuse explodes, it will shine as bright as the half-Moon for more than three months; life on Earth will be unharmed.

    • Uruanna@lemmy.world
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      15 days ago

      There was a period around a year ago for several months where we didn’t know what was going on with Betelgeuse dramatically dimming unexpectedly, and we thought it might go out within our lifetime. But yeah, we’ve explained that about 4 zeroes back since earlier this year I think.

      • tedd_deireadh@lemmy.world
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        15 days ago

        Ah, gotcha. Yeah, they did mention the dimming. That would be an amazing sight to see a star as large as Betelgeuse going supernova though.