When Will Betelgeuse Explode?

When Sir Patrick Moore, the late president of the British Astronomical Association, would step outside on a cold, clear night, he’d look up at the sky and take up his usual vigil.

“I look at Orion before anything else,” he wrote of the constellation, “to make sure that Betelgeuse is still there in its familiar guise!”

Betelgeuse, located on the huntsman’s shoulder, takes its name from an Arabic term that means the “giant’s shoulder,” and the unpredictable supergiant star has always inspired watchfulness. While stars often exude stability for millions of years, this one is notorious for its fits of dimming, brightening, flaring and otherwise puzzling astronomers.