Why is this strange? Everything you see has happened in the past - a few nanoseconds, if you look at the opposite wall of the room, a few million years if you look at a near Galaxy. One gets used to that! - Just as I write this, I realize that the screen onto which I look just now is one nanosecond in the past - hell, I do not know what is happening to my computer right *now*!
@@herwighuener3256 - Exactly, it is this essence of reality - always seeing nothing but the past - that is so strange. I just feel it is stranger still when people are talking that a star IS dimming when in fact that phenomenon actually happened some 700 years ago.
Angela Reyes ,Nothing Against It..But You Truly Do Not Understand,The Passion That Some People Have For This Star..Yes..We Want It To Super Nova..But After All Is Settled,We Can Vast In The Beauty Of Its Nebula Forever❤️
I'm sure it be a great sight indeed! And think of all the incredible footage we would get to see from the various telescopes dotting the Earth. I'm sure the world's astronomers would get a bunch of useful information to increase their knowledge even further. A true gift from the universe.
@@maxinfly no, it's too far away to cause us any damage here luckily. Most certainly wouldn't want to be in the Betelgeuse star system at that moment haha!
There was background music ? I dunno, Eeep Hour, and SpiderGawd, as the preamble to "the Wheel". Would make for some super sick absolutely appropiate music, IF, it is synched right. People who get panicky at music really need it the most. But some are reminded of being social misfits and so would rather not enter into that emotionally messy area of the inner heart. But like it or not, one day they will. Skipping with joy, or stomping their feet and throwing a tempertantrum. You will make that journey. Here's a quote for you. "Destiny doesn't give a rats ass how you feel about things." Black Peter.
@@rabbitcarrot651 I think Nova's point is that the star is approx 700 Light years away, and that It may have already blown up and the light of the supernova just hasn't reached us yet.yet.
@@hobanagerik Yes but I took it to mean it used to be 2.5 times brighter. I didn't look for what he didn't mean but what he did mean. However, it was 2.5 times as bright but it lost 1.5 to be 1x as bright as it is now.
I'm a fan of Astronomy, and of all the Astronomy communicators out there, you are one of the most fun and educational one. Simple explanations, no fancy words, music, or editing, direct to the point, with a pinch of humor. I'm lovin' it! Thank you!
3:34 Thanks for explaining how dust forms from stellar winds. I always used to wonder how dust is getting formed from plasma. No one gave that explanation before.
@@LaunchPadAstronomy all that I've reviewed doesn't suggest monster spots, which could be detected via customized masks or radio. Maybe a significant mass ejection? Plenty of evidence in many a planetary nebula.
Just remember any images of this star actually occurred over 600 years ago ,for all we know it has already gone supernova just we will probably never see it
If Betelgeuse went supernova 640 years ago, and this process is very fast, we would get to witness it. I don’t know how long it takes for a star to complete that process I.e. the initial collapse, compression, and then explosion. I would guess the actual explosion is very fast, but the process leading up to that? No idea.
anno636 You clearly can’t read. Read what I wrote again. I said “640 years ago”. Now who’s stupid? The process I am referring to is how long from the point of collapse to the actual explosion. If we are now seeing a dimming phase that happened 640 years ago, and this dimming phase leads to a supernova inside a human lifetime, we might get to witness that ancient event. But if that process takes thousands of years to complete, humans still have a long time to wait to witness it.
Jovet True, but we are seeing what happened then in real time, just 640 years out of step. If a supernova occurs over a matter of hours, and has already happened in the past, we ma be seeing the prelude to such and event. However, I would imagine that there would be a period of brightening, not dimming, before a star collapses and explodes.
Is there a possibility that Betelgeuse could actually be a double star system, with its companion being in a very close orbit? If so, could something catastrophic be happening to it? Like maybe the close companion has become so close, that it is now being consumed by its primary?
I never realised that Betelgeuse looked as weird as that! I really hope it goes supernova during my lifetime, I'm sure it would be quite the sight. Plus I'm sure it would give the world so much information and only strengthen our knowledge of stars.
I just love watching the night skies, but hard to do so when clouds are around most of the time, but I've been watching the night skies ever since I was about 5 yrs old and through the years I taught myself the constellations and stars and also built my own telescope at age 10 or 11 from a pair of toy binoculars....Soon after, I bought a couple of other telescopes, one which had a very bad mirror with it and no way to correct it except tear it apart and get a new mirror. I've seen many stars and the moon with my telescopes, and use them for different aspects of observations, but have been unable to photograph any of them as yet, due to lack of equipment and other drawbacks. It would be fun to see how that would come out though, maybe some day. Thanks for sharing. I love this even though I don't like Betelguese dying, life goes on and it may surprise us again....maybe a survivor......HIGH 5
Another great video! I saw the pictures of Betelgeuse earlier in the week with the article title "Betelgeuse has changed shape!" then the article never mentioned it again... so thank you for clearing that up! Interesting stuff and a great job as always. Thank you for putting out such great material!
It's always such a pleasure to listen to you and you just keep getting better and better. No one has been a little bit since I was last by, however, you do such a fantastic job here and so easy to listen to you really make it palatable for the common person to understand Astrology and that's a great gift. still big fans and still cheering you on and you're Channel doing fantastic and we couldn't be prouder of you and it's so well-deserved. Cheers and all the best
Maybe we, as a whole species, need to say it’s name 3 times in unison... 7.X billion people saying “Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse!!!” In unison, and the star will return to its previous brightness in all its glory! Someone orchestrate this!
@@LaunchPadAstronomy No the clouds are blocking the sky altofether and it looks like that it's here for most of this week. One of the downers of living in the UK.
@@colinp2238 yeah, that definitely sounds familiar haha! The only time our constant Great British cloud cover actually came in useful was during the solar eclipse we had around the late 90s/early 2000s, I could actually watch without eye protection due to the clouds. I obviously didn't really get to see the corona but did get to see the eclipse in all its glory. The predicted best view was supposed to be at Cornwall (plenty of full hotels that day!) but I'm pretty sure they received some heavy rain and heavy clouds (good old British summertime haha!) But I was on the south east coast (Lowestoft) and the clouds were light enough to see fine, but enough to shield the eyes! Good times!
I am not especially looking forward to one of my favorite stars blowing up permanently changing one of my favorite constellations. Sorry, not in any hurry for Betelgeuse to supernova.
Hands down one of the best astronomy channels on TH-cam and I enjoy your sense of humor Christian...I esp like the one about making a giant telescope (in another vid) that leaves our solar system in a year and doesn't even give us one picture. :)
As always you are so amazing to listen to and learn from. Thank you.I just love Ur voice, you make it easy to learn and understand. Your doing a stellar job Sir.
I'm guessing what it's doing is emitting light asymmetrically and we're just randomly not in the direction that's brighter? It looks like the top part in that image is brighter than the equator and lower part. So maybe the total power of the star is still within the normal range when all solid angles are summed
Wow, what a brilliant (if you'll forgive the pun) video. Not too long, no distracting music and narrated with bags of enthusiasm, I wish I'd discovered it before. I'm subscribing.
Every thing that we see happening to betelgeuse in this current time, has now, actually, *ALREADY HAPPENED!* Betelgeuse is 640 light years away! Meaning that all this was *happening* to Betelgeuse itself, just 30 years after the *Black Death.* *Amazing! Watching What's ACTUALLY HAPPENING, in medieval time, here now..*
I'm a deadhead so maybe he means this? Or Dark Star. Who knows! Grateful dead, in folktales of many cultures, the spirit of a deceased person who bestows benefits on the one responsible for his burial. In the prototypical story, the protagonist is a traveler who encounters the corpse of a debtor, to whom the honour of proper burial has been denied.
when i first observed the dimming back in aug sept 19 i thought it was just me.. but then i began seeing all these videos on youtube about the star it made me realize how small our world has become and how uniquely we all been connected unlike never before
It is possible that we are seeing the surface results of the nuclear reactions in the star's core "flashing over" to a heavier element like Oxygen? It would seem reasonable that the quick burst of energy from that process might disrupt the outer layers of the star and end up ejecting a bunch of matter/dust into the space around it which is now obscuring the light from the star until it clears out or falls back in...
The fleet has assymbled and is heading straight this way, blotting out the light with their numbers. Thats why Elon is deploying space mines 60 at a time.
Planet X blocking out the light.Second coming of Christ right on time.Not 2012 but actually 2020 is the year Planet X will start entering our solar systym in a 26000 year cycle.Also note all those plagues.Doesnt this sound like the apocalypse the bible warns us about before Christ(anunaki/fallen angels) return to earth (to free us all from debt slavery)We are entering a new window in humankind.Wake up people😃
@@dwaynehunt3714 Get help. You're too far gone to realize it on your own, but you need help. Tell your stories to a mental health professional; they will listen.
I'm thinking it went supernova already and the light show we thought we were going to see didn't happen. This dimming could be a result of either a partial one or nothing at all.
We need a video on maintenance of large telescopes. How do you keep the mirrors clean? Also for space telescopes, is this an issue? Do they need automated cleaning routines? Do the instruments need special care? Is it difficult to get replacements? Are there firms who specialize in this field?
It's running out of fuel which is causing the dimming. Less photons are escaping which means less atom smashing due to a cooling period and readjustment due to less fuel. It will probably shrink ever so slightly to adjust and then go back to release more photons. Like he said it could take thousands of years before a huge explosion.
Dr. Ready-- I have just recently 'discovered' your presentations, and I enjoy them immensely! If I understand it correctly, the 'non-symmetric' appearance of the star is not new. I believe I have seen pictures showing the 'lump' that are years old.
Hi Dave, you're very kind (though I don't hold a PhD so no need for "Dr." :) ). You're correct that Betelgeuse has always been asymmetric (well, at least since becoming a red supergiant). Even previous images show the star as uneven, which you can see in my previous videos.
If i went out to my patio to observe, wouldn’t i’d be seeing it as it was many years ago? Maybe it already went super nova snd we still have not seen the light because its still traveling.
Hi Christian, its now Feb 29th 2020, 23H00 at night. Sky is now clear, and I just compared Betelgeuse to Bellatrix, and both stars are about at the same level of luminosity. Compared to what I could see only 1 month ago. Where Betelgeuse was so much dimmer. I would like you to make a us a tour of Alderbaran, in the constellation of Taurus. Thanks for all the video you are creating !
Hi Christian ! Again, just checked its 20H15, March 5th, and Betelgeuse was at its zenith. Betelgeuse slightly brighter than Bellatrix, yet. But Alderbaran in Taurus is definitly brighter than Betelgeuse. I live in North-West Quebec, Canada, btw.
I’m making a big assumption that telescope time is allotted ahead of time, unless something unusual is detected in the cosmos. Is it possible they could perform a day to day or week to week “time lapse” of the star?
That's pretty much the case. Most observatories require proposals to be submitted ahead of time, but there's often a reserve of Director's discretionary time available for just these sort of contingencies. How much of that time can be devoted depends on the urgency/scientific importance. Suffice to say, Betelgeuse is getting a lot of discretionary time these days :)
TheNasaDude I realize I could have been more concise, but I would figure that once it starts to brighten then they would probably not observe anything close to as much as they may be now. Collect a lot of information now and if way down the road if it should start to behave the way it is now they could compare.
It dimmed because a body moved inline and finally slammed into it causing the deformation. Forgot to say I love your channel and work, thank you for doing what you do!!!
Could it be that what we are witnessing is the star's core shifting its fusion fuel to a heavier element? To my understanding, when let's say helium in the core gets exhausted, fusion in the core falters, the star implodes, pressure and temperature in the core rise to the point where carbon fusion goes off and a new active phase begins allover again. Is it right to assume that this implosive transition takes some time during which the star's surface, energy output and hence luminosity declines?
With lower costs of building and launching satellites, can we launch a satellite to continuously monitor just a particular star (like Betelgeuse for example) across the entire electromagnetic spectrum ?
You had me at Betelgeuse. But when it dawned on me that "Steal your Face" was beaming back at me, well, I just had to subscribe. Thank you very much. Greetings from Vienna. NFA.
As of Sept.13 2022 Betelgeuse which is well up in the eastern sky before dawn in the Northern Hemisphere is quite bright,almost as bright if not fully as bright as Rigel in Orion and Capella,almost even as bright as nearby Mars which is becoming quite noticeable
These simulated images of Betelgeuce have an uncanny resemblance to the dying sun in the opening montage of the 1978 remake of INVASION OF THE BODYSNATCHERS
It would be a great experience for me seeing this star going supernova! Atleast I saw something more interesting than Lunar or Solar eclipses in my lifetime
Absolutely incredible. Man do we live in an amazing universe or what? Furthermore how incredible is it that we live in such a peaceful environment in comparison to some of the things that are observe. Life is so fragile, or atleast the life on Earth
Given how focused its dark spot is and how Betelgeuse is known to have abnormally strong magnetic fields for a red supergiant star might the lower half have become dominated by a gigantic starspot? After all the top part of the star seems to still have its original predimming brightness.
I am amazed how betelgeuse is fading and dropped in the rank of brightest (visual magnitude) I wish i can see a super nova in my lifetime , that would be a spectacular view. Roughly 643 light year away from our planet these changes have already occured and we are witnessing them just now. Mind bugging and extraordinary events.
Hi Christian! Do you think Betelgeuse’s gonna turn into a black hole? And if not, do you think it will turn into a pulsar, a magnetar or just an average neutron star?
Hi Laiza, it's almost certainly going to be a rotating neutron star. If it's magnetic axis sweeps along our line of sight, we'll see it as a pulsar. Who knows, maybe it'll get to magnetar level at some point :)
Gosh astronomy and Betelgeuse are such teases. I keep seeing videos talking about it and all this craziness gets my hopes up that it’ll go supernova soon. And then I get a big vibe check from astronomers and I just come away disappointed 😞 great video tho!
Maybe I'm an odd one out, but I feel like it's important to keep in mind the distance, and therefore, time involved. It seems that people rarely mention that what we are seeing happened a long time ago. Betelgeuse is 642.5 light years away. Therefore, what we are seeing happened 642.5 years ago.... For many of you, this goes without saying, but it can be confusing to the layperson. Nonetheless... I love this channel!
Another interesting thing to think about is that an object travelling at the speed of light experiences no passage of time. So, from the perspective of the photons bringing us this news, this happened only a moment ago!
🔴 What's happening to Betelgeuse? th-cam.com/video/VsliMyrvGDI/w-d-xo.html
Hey now! Dark Star crashes...
Someone's paying attention :)
3:19 Checkout the opening montage scene of the 1978 remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers - - looks just like this star
John Smith ,Would Love Too..Can You Provide a Link..Please
She's about to go supernova 🤯😁
I'm a jet pilot who flies mostly at night. I'm just waiting for the sky to light up suddenly when Betelgeus blows!
That will be a really cool view until ATC vectors you to turn north :)
Unfortunately the supernovae will get to maximum brightness gradually over a few weeks won’t be a huge flash, sorry.
Me too. And I'm on the ground!
@@Alexis-hx3yd That's okay. I'm in the northeast so it'll give the sky time to clear up.
When you see it, remember it happened 600 years ago. Mind blown
It's very strange to think that this dimming of Betelgeuse actually happened almost 200 years before Columbus discovery trip to the New World.
Exactly... HENRY II was the most powerful man in the world... crazy to objectively ponder..
Why is this strange? Everything you see has happened in the past - a few nanoseconds, if you look at the opposite wall of the room, a few million years if you look at a near Galaxy. One gets used to that! - Just as I write this, I realize that the screen onto which I look just now is one nanosecond in the past - hell, I do not know what is happening to my computer right *now*!
Herwig Huener It is called lag. :P
@@herwighuener3256 - Exactly, it is this essence of reality - always seeing nothing but the past - that is so strange. I just feel it is stranger still when people are talking that a star IS dimming when in fact that phenomenon actually happened some 700 years ago.
It most certainly was not new to the Native Americans.
*Betelgeuse: "Why everyone want me to die T_T"
For the another sun
lol!!! It is true! A death wish for a poor star.
Angela Reyes ,Nothing Against It..But You Truly Do Not Understand,The Passion That Some People Have For This Star..Yes..We Want It To Super Nova..But After All Is Settled,We Can Vast In The Beauty Of Its Nebula Forever❤️
@@PafMedic and all life is reduce to Atoms in a 50 light year circle
Because we enjoy novelty.
Oh how I wish I could see Betelgeuse’ s supernova during my lifetime...
Well, there's always a chance. It would be glorious if it did!
I'm sure it be a great sight indeed! And think of all the incredible footage we would get to see from the various telescopes dotting the Earth. I'm sure the world's astronomers would get a bunch of useful information to increase their knowledge even further. A true gift from the universe.
It might be the last thing you ever see, thought.
@@maxinfly no, it's too far away to cause us any damage here luckily. Most certainly wouldn't want to be in the Betelgeuse star system at that moment haha!
It will be great to see the Neutron star form in the aftermath of the supernova. Neutron stars are fascinating to me.
I just heard this quote the other day, "The Universe is under no obligation to make sense to you." Betelgeuse is teaching us this very lesson.
Well said M. Bax!
Neil de grasse said it
lawrence krauss
I loved this comment!
Carl Sagan first said it. Neil Degrase Tyson had the pleasure to be one of his students.
Earthlings: come on Betelgeuse, just die already!
Betelgeuse: -_- You realize you're hurting my feelings, right?
Yep, we're a bloodthirsty bunch :)
Its distance from earth is about 700 light years. Betelgeuse: Too bad! You'll never know.
Take this cringe to tiktok
Not even clever
I appreciate your coverage of the Betelgeuse observations. And the delightful lack of background music in your current videos!
Thanks! I'm really ok with background music but I never can find the right kind for my style so I just do without.
@@LaunchPadAstronomy no background music it's fine! If one wants music...Spotify has it!
There was background music ? I dunno, Eeep Hour, and SpiderGawd, as the preamble to "the Wheel". Would make for some super sick absolutely appropiate music, IF, it is synched right. People who get panicky at music really need it the most. But some are reminded of being social misfits and so would rather not enter into that emotionally messy area of the inner heart. But like it or not, one day they will. Skipping with joy, or stomping their feet and throwing a tempertantrum. You will make that journey. Here's a quote for you. "Destiny doesn't give a rats ass how you feel about things."
Black Peter.
I love the idea that if it blew tomorrow it actually happened around the time of Shakespeare and the Spanish Armada
Who knew.
Betelgeuse going supernovae would lead to some awesome discoveries. Cool video!
Thanks! We're learning quite a bit just watching it evolve :)
Come on, blow up already.
All good things in all good time :)
NovaCygni We’d know if it had blown, it’s a large star. It would cause quite a bright light that would stay around for a while.
@@rabbitcarrot651 I think Nova's point is that the star is approx 700 Light years away, and that It may have already blown up and the light of the supernova just hasn't reached us yet.yet.
I want to see a supernova now. I don’t want to have to leave it for my great, great, great, great grandchildren to see one.
Might have already gone 640 years ago 😂
IT'S AMAZING to think that whatever is happening to this 🌟 STAR occured in the time of HENRY II ; The battle of Montiel i.e. the year 1369
5:28 "The star has lost at least two and a half times it's original brightness..."
What kind of a nonsensical statement is that?
The kind you make when you're on your 8th take and can't get the words out...
I thought it was 38% which is a "one and a half times loss".
Jake S If it lost 1 time it’s brightness it would be invisible I.e. dimmed by 100%
So 0.38x as bright sounds better.
@@hobanagerik Yes but I took it to mean it used to be 2.5 times brighter. I didn't look for what he didn't mean but what he did mean. However, it was 2.5 times as bright but it lost 1.5 to be 1x as bright as it is now.
I.5, 2.5 ? 38%, 0.38% whatever, it’s still not as dim as you!
Can’t wait to see how well James Webb Space telescope focuses in on stars like Betelgeuse 🤩
I'm a fan of Astronomy, and of all the Astronomy communicators out there, you are one of the most fun and educational one. Simple explanations, no fancy words, music, or editing, direct to the point, with a pinch of humor. I'm lovin' it! Thank you!
Wouldn't the more appropriate statement be "despite the headlines, there is no evidence that Betelgeuse went supernova in 1320AD"?
If we haven't seen it explode, it hasn't exploded.
@@falkkiwiben yes 1+1=2 is the cat dead?
Brian Steele as long as we dont open the box its dead and alive at the same time.
@@falkkiwiben Damn dude, imagine being this stupid.
@@TomSestilio did you know that a minute passes every 60 seconds in Africa?
3:34 Thanks for explaining how dust forms from stellar winds. I always used to wonder how dust is getting formed from plasma. No one gave that explanation before.
Sure thing!
@@LaunchPadAstronomy all that I've reviewed doesn't suggest monster spots, which could be detected via customized masks or radio.
Maybe a significant mass ejection? Plenty of evidence in many a planetary nebula.
Just remember any images of this star actually occurred over 600 years ago ,for all we know it has already gone supernova just we will probably never see it
If Betelgeuse went supernova 640 years ago, and this process is very fast, we would get to witness it. I don’t know how long it takes for a star to complete that process I.e. the initial collapse, compression, and then explosion. I would guess the actual explosion is very fast, but the process leading up to that? No idea.
anno636 You clearly can’t read. Read what I wrote again. I said “640 years ago”. Now who’s stupid?
The process I am referring to is how long from the point of collapse to the actual explosion. If we are now seeing a dimming phase that happened 640 years ago, and this dimming phase leads to a supernova inside a human lifetime, we might get to witness that ancient event.
But if that process takes thousands of years to complete, humans still have a long time to wait to witness it.
Ok i read it wrong i also just wokeup ! ...deleted
Just remember that time is relative. Betelgeuse's 640 years ago is our now.
Jovet True, but we are seeing what happened then in real time, just 640 years out of step. If a supernova occurs over a matter of hours, and has already happened in the past, we ma be seeing the prelude to such and event.
However, I would imagine that there would be a period of brightening, not dimming, before a star collapses and explodes.
Hey they took a picture of Chicago’s mayor in outer space.
Thank you for this. Keep us posted on these events please.
My pleasure, thanks for watching!
Is there a possibility that Betelgeuse could actually be a double star system, with its companion being in a very close orbit? If so, could something catastrophic be happening to it? Like maybe the close companion has become so close, that it is now being consumed by its primary?
I never realised that Betelgeuse looked as weird as that! I really hope it goes supernova during my lifetime, I'm sure it would be quite the sight. Plus I'm sure it would give the world so much information and only strengthen our knowledge of stars.
You're not the only one wishing Betelguese would give us a show to remember. I stood watching it tonight thinking "If only..."
I just love watching the night skies, but hard to do so when clouds are around most of the time, but I've been watching the night skies ever since I was about 5 yrs old and through the years I taught myself the constellations and stars and also built my own telescope at age 10 or 11 from a pair of toy binoculars....Soon after, I bought a couple of other telescopes, one which had a very bad mirror with it and no way to correct it except tear it apart and get a new mirror. I've seen many stars and the moon with my telescopes, and use them for different aspects of observations, but have been unable to photograph any of them as yet, due to lack of equipment and other drawbacks. It would be fun to see how that would come out though, maybe some day. Thanks for sharing. I love this even though I don't like Betelguese dying, life goes on and it may surprise us again....maybe a survivor......HIGH 5
There's no better way to experience the Universe than with your own eyes and senses. Glad you're enjoying the show!
@@javaman4584 well said.
Another great video! I saw the pictures of Betelgeuse earlier in the week with the article title "Betelgeuse has changed shape!" then the article never mentioned it again... so thank you for clearing that up! Interesting stuff and a great job as always. Thank you for putting out such great material!
Everybody: Explode already!
Betelgeuse: Jokes on you.. I already have!
I think already blow up
Plot twist : it already exploded, but the light is still on the way to Earth considering that Betelgeuse is hundreds light years away
I wish I would live for another 100k years, just to see how all the stars turn out
You are stardust
You won't see much movement of the stars in just a 100.000 yrs, you'd have to wait millions of years to see them move significantly.
It's always such a pleasure to listen to you and you just keep getting better and better. No one has been a little bit since I was last by, however, you do such a fantastic job here and so easy to listen to you really make it palatable for the common person to understand Astrology and that's a great gift. still big fans and still cheering you on and you're Channel doing fantastic and we couldn't be prouder of you and it's so well-deserved. Cheers and all the best
Great to hear from you, and thank you so much for the kind words. Hope all's well with you guys.
Now I know where to look for Betelgeuse in the night sky, I will go outside and see if it has dimmed.
By all means, go take a look!
Maybe we, as a whole species, need to say it’s name 3 times in unison... 7.X billion people saying “Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse!!!” In unison, and the star will return to its previous brightness in all its glory!
Someone orchestrate this!
I would go out and check but a passing mass of rain cloud that has been overhead most of today has persuaded me otherwise.
Any chance the rain is only blocking the southern half of the star? :)
same here, but snow ;-(
@@danf52 I wish we had snow. It's too warm here in MD.
@@LaunchPadAstronomy No the clouds are blocking the sky altofether and it looks like that it's here for most of this week. One of the downers of living in the UK.
@@colinp2238 yeah, that definitely sounds familiar haha! The only time our constant Great British cloud cover actually came in useful was during the solar eclipse we had around the late 90s/early 2000s, I could actually watch without eye protection due to the clouds. I obviously didn't really get to see the corona but did get to see the eclipse in all its glory. The predicted best view was supposed to be at Cornwall (plenty of full hotels that day!) but I'm pretty sure they received some heavy rain and heavy clouds (good old British summertime haha!) But I was on the south east coast (Lowestoft) and the clouds were light enough to see fine, but enough to shield the eyes! Good times!
I would love so much to see a hyper giant star go supernova, what a sight that would be.
I am not especially looking forward to one of my favorite stars blowing up permanently changing one of my favorite constellations. Sorry, not in any hurry for Betelgeuse to supernova.
I've thought the same thing looking up at Betelgeuse - how cool would it be to watch it, literally watch it, go supernova...
Damn thing already popped its cork, we just don’t know yet
You have no proof
Hands down one of the best astronomy channels on TH-cam and I enjoy your sense of humor Christian...I esp like the one about making a giant telescope (in another vid) that leaves our solar system in a year and doesn't even give us one picture. :)
Thanks :)
@@LaunchPadAstronomy You're welcome. :)
As always you are so amazing to listen to and learn from. Thank you.I just love Ur voice, you make it easy to learn and understand. Your doing a stellar job Sir.
Thank you so much, I'm so flattered!
"a stellar job" ... very funny. Very amusing.
I'm guessing what it's doing is emitting light asymmetrically and we're just randomly not in the direction that's brighter? It looks like the top part in that image is brighter than the equator and lower part. So maybe the total power of the star is still within the normal range when all solid angles are summed
"Betelgeuse...Betelgeuse..." just waiting for the 3rd one 😜
When you say it for the third time it will go supernova but if you mispronounce it you will get an unwanted visitor
"BETELGEUSE" .......
Wow, what a brilliant (if you'll forgive the pun) video. Not too long, no distracting music and narrated with bags of enthusiasm, I wish I'd discovered it before. I'm subscribing.
Thanks a so much, and I’m glad to have you along for the ride!
Its a giant dark spot storm on the star in my professional TH-cam astronomy opinion.
Every thing that we see happening to betelgeuse in this current time, has now, actually, *ALREADY HAPPENED!* Betelgeuse is 640 light years away! Meaning that all this was *happening* to Betelgeuse itself, just 30 years after the *Black Death.*
*Amazing! Watching What's ACTUALLY HAPPENING, in medieval time, here now..*
Man,for sure we want to Betelgeuse a Grateful Dead.
"Moses came riding up on a quasar..." I have no idea what that even means :)
Pantibiblon daaaaaaaark star crashes
I’m lost
Gibberish
I'm a deadhead so maybe he means this? Or Dark Star. Who knows!
Grateful dead, in folktales of many cultures, the spirit of a deceased person who bestows benefits on the one responsible for his burial. In the prototypical story, the protagonist is a traveler who encounters the corpse of a debtor, to whom the honour of proper burial has been denied.
when i first observed the dimming back in aug sept 19 i thought it was just me.. but then i began seeing all these videos on youtube about the star it made me realize how small our world has become and how uniquely we all been connected unlike never before
Someone is making a Dyson sphere..
It is possible that we are seeing the surface results of the nuclear reactions in the star's core "flashing over" to a heavier element like Oxygen?
It would seem reasonable that the quick burst of energy from that process might disrupt the outer layers of the star and end up ejecting a bunch of matter/dust into the space around it which is now obscuring the light from the star until it clears out or falls back in...
The fleet has assymbled and is heading straight this way, blotting out the light with their numbers.
Thats why Elon is deploying space mines 60 at a time.
Planet X blocking out the light.Second coming of Christ right on time.Not 2012 but actually 2020 is the year Planet X will start entering our solar systym in a 26000 year cycle.Also note all those plagues.Doesnt this sound like the apocalypse the bible warns us about before Christ(anunaki/fallen angels) return to earth (to free us all from debt slavery)We are entering a new window in humankind.Wake up people😃
@@dwaynehunt3714 Get help. You're too far gone to realize it on your own, but you need help. Tell your stories to a mental health professional; they will listen.
I'm thinking it went supernova already and the light show we thought we were going to see didn't happen. This dimming could be a result of either a partial one or nothing at all.
That isn't how it works.
We can actually take actual pictures of the freaking past think about that for a minute...
want to really be blown away? look into "project: Looking glass"
We need a video on maintenance of large telescopes. How do you keep the mirrors clean? Also for space telescopes, is this an issue? Do they need automated cleaning routines?
Do the instruments need special care? Is it difficult to get replacements?
Are there firms who specialize in this field?
Very well done, liked
Thanks!
It's running out of fuel which is causing the dimming. Less photons are escaping which means less atom smashing due to a cooling period and readjustment due to less fuel. It will probably shrink ever so slightly to adjust and then go back to release more photons. Like he said it could take thousands of years before a huge explosion.
Probably aliens messing with the lights.
Day he say day he say dayyyyooo.
Not nearly as clever as you hoped, sorry
😂
You had me at Betelgeuse, but the Grateful Dead scrapbook reeled me in! I grant you a sub!
Dr. Ready-- I have just recently 'discovered' your presentations, and I enjoy them immensely! If I understand it correctly, the 'non-symmetric' appearance of the star is not new. I believe I have seen pictures showing the 'lump' that are years old.
Hi Dave, you're very kind (though I don't hold a PhD so no need for "Dr." :) ). You're correct that Betelgeuse has always been asymmetric (well, at least since becoming a red supergiant). Even previous images show the star as uneven, which you can see in my previous videos.
If i went out to my patio to observe, wouldn’t i’d be seeing it as it was many years ago? Maybe it already went super nova snd we still have not seen the light because its still traveling.
Love this channel. Thanks for the work that you do!
Hi Christian, its now Feb 29th 2020, 23H00 at night. Sky is now clear, and I just compared Betelgeuse to Bellatrix, and both stars are about at the same level of luminosity. Compared to what I could see only 1 month ago. Where Betelgeuse was so much dimmer. I would like you to make a us a tour of Alderbaran, in the constellation of Taurus. Thanks for all the video you are creating !
Wonderful! I'm glad you can go out and see it for yourself!
Hi Christian ! Again, just checked its 20H15, March 5th, and Betelgeuse was at its zenith. Betelgeuse slightly brighter than Bellatrix, yet. But Alderbaran in Taurus is definitly brighter than Betelgeuse. I live in North-West Quebec, Canada, btw.
I’m making a big assumption that telescope time is allotted ahead of time, unless something unusual is detected in the cosmos. Is it possible they could perform a day to day or week to week “time lapse” of the star?
That's pretty much the case. Most observatories require proposals to be submitted ahead of time, but there's often a reserve of Director's discretionary time available for just these sort of contingencies. How much of that time can be devoted depends on the urgency/scientific importance. Suffice to say, Betelgeuse is getting a lot of discretionary time these days :)
Launch Pad Astronomy Thanks for the response and great to know!!
If it's really going to take 100k years to blow, by then we would have gathered an absurd amount of data on Betelgeuse
TheNasaDude I realize I could have been more concise, but I would figure that once it starts to brighten then they would probably not observe anything close to as much as they may be now. Collect a lot of information now and if way down the road if it should start to behave the way it is now they could compare.
And this actually happened 643 years ago?
It could of blown up already over 600 years ago- we just can’t see it yet
The funny thing is Betelgeuse was already brightening when the vudeo was released and is regaining magnitude ever since.
Grateful for your videos!! Just starting out with astronomy and you have enlightened me with so much knowledge!
Thanks, I'm so glad you're enjoying it!
2:11...It looks like something large is passing in front of Betelgeuse...very slowly? Maybe that's why it's dimmed so unusually?
OK going to try and see Betelgeuse tonight. I have to wish for clear skies before I wish for a nova :). Great video as always Christian.
Thanks Gee! Hope you get to take a look.
Supernovas are cool and all, but I want this beautiful constellation untouched. Leave Betelgeuse alone!
Maybe a Dyson sphere is being comstructed around it.
That sphere would be ridiculously large. Wow!
Yea that's probably impossible. But if true. Thats some extreme energy they're harnessing
@@markfrank5937 and insanely stupid. Going through that much effort and moving that much mass, just to have it destroyed when the star blows.
It dimmed because a body moved inline and finally slammed into it causing the deformation. Forgot to say I love your channel and work, thank you for doing what you do!!!
It's going to come out that the guy in December pic spilled his coffee or something. Bright as ever lol
Could it be that what we are witnessing is the star's core shifting its fusion fuel to a heavier element?
To my understanding, when let's say helium in the core gets exhausted, fusion in the core falters, the star implodes, pressure and temperature in the core rise to the point where carbon fusion goes off and a new active phase begins allover again. Is it right to assume that this implosive transition takes some time during which the star's surface, energy output and hence luminosity declines?
I didn't notice it being faint but it really looks red.
With lower costs of building and launching satellites, can we launch a satellite to continuously monitor just a particular star (like Betelgeuse for example) across the entire electromagnetic spectrum ?
You had me at Betelgeuse. But when it dawned on me that "Steal your Face" was beaming back at me, well, I just had to subscribe. Thank you very much.
Greetings from Vienna.
NFA.
My mother raised me right. Glad to have you along for the ride!
Can the Space Telescopes (Hubble, JWST) get any better imaging of Betelgeuse to squeeze out any more details of what is going on ?
“More like an angry cloud”
-Christian Ready,2020?
I died when he said that
2020
I'd love to have a look at Betelgeuse, but have to wait for some good weather first!
If it goes supernova you will be able to see it through the clouds
As of Sept.13 2022 Betelgeuse which is well up in the eastern sky before dawn in the Northern Hemisphere is quite bright,almost as bright if not fully as bright as Rigel in Orion and Capella,almost even as bright as nearby Mars which is becoming quite noticeable
For gamers, there's a mod for both Far Cry 5 and FC: New Dawn that adds a Betelgeuse supernova to the day and night sky of Montana.
Like our star eventually will be a red giant, it may also start to consume it's planets in orbit causing a debris field to dim the light.
These simulated images of Betelgeuce have an uncanny resemblance to the dying sun in the opening montage of the 1978 remake of INVASION OF THE BODYSNATCHERS
It would be a great experience for me seeing this star going supernova!
Atleast I saw something more interesting than Lunar or Solar eclipses in my lifetime
some astronomer: what should we name our very large telescope
the other guy: yes
Absolutely incredible. Man do we live in an amazing universe or what? Furthermore how incredible is it that we live in such a peaceful environment in comparison to some of the things that are observe. Life is so fragile, or atleast the life on Earth
We live in exciting times, to say the least.
Given how focused its dark spot is and how Betelgeuse is known to have abnormally strong magnetic fields for a red supergiant star might the lower half have become dominated by a gigantic starspot? After all the top part of the star seems to still have its original predimming brightness.
You're closing statements were damn funny and I love the astronomy thing. Keep up the good work man.
Thanks!
Couldn't something, we can't see be tugging on the star to cause that bulge? Or would that cause a plasma or gas trail?
I am amazed how betelgeuse is fading and dropped in the rank of brightest (visual magnitude)
I wish i can see a super nova in my lifetime , that would be a spectacular view. Roughly 643 light year away from our planet these changes have already occured and we are witnessing them just now. Mind bugging and extraordinary events.
nah, it's just a civilization on a planet orbiting Betelgeuse, who recently achieved K2 civilization, building their dyson swarm
It went Nova, that’s what happened the dimming is the expanding ejecta from its surface when it went boom.
What percentage of iron that's present today and how much more percentage of iron will it need before going supernova?
0:25 i thought it was an egg 😬😂
is it possible that red giants just decay? like they lose bodyparts slowly rotting away?
Hi Christian! Do you think Betelgeuse’s gonna turn into a black hole? And if not, do you think it will turn into a pulsar, a magnetar or just an average neutron star?
Hi Laiza, it's almost certainly going to be a rotating neutron star. If it's magnetic axis sweeps along our line of sight, we'll see it as a pulsar. Who knows, maybe it'll get to magnetar level at some point :)
Great video, very informative!
Thanks!
It looks like there is a lot of dust surrounding the star which is the cause of the dimming.
Gosh astronomy and Betelgeuse are such teases. I keep seeing videos talking about it and all this craziness gets my hopes up that it’ll go supernova soon. And then I get a big vibe check from astronomers and I just come away disappointed 😞 great video tho!
Yeah, well we don't get to decide when a star goes supernova. I try to manage those expectations as best I can. I'm glad you liked the video though!
Love your videos!!
Thank you!!
Indeed it would absolutely amazing it it went super nova !
Thanks Christian for another awesome video .
My pleasure, Joe. Thanks so much for watching!
Maybe I'm an odd one out, but I feel like it's important to keep in mind the distance, and therefore, time involved. It seems that people rarely mention that what we are seeing happened a long time ago.
Betelgeuse is 642.5 light years away. Therefore, what we are seeing happened 642.5 years ago....
For many of you, this goes without saying, but it can be confusing to the layperson.
Nonetheless... I love this channel!
Another interesting thing to think about is that an object travelling at the speed of light experiences no passage of time. So, from the perspective of the photons bringing us this news, this happened only a moment ago!