Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse
Explanation:
Betelgeuse
(sounds a lot like "beetle juice"),
a red supergiant star about 600 lightyears distant, is shown here in this
Hubble Space Telescope
image
which represents the first direct
picture of the surface of a star other than the
Sun.
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.
This image reveals a bright, as yet unexplained hotspot on its surface.
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.
