A star is behaving strangely and could be about to explode into a supernova

Betelgeuse, normally one of the brightest stars in the sky, has started to behave strangely.

Astronomers think the unusual dimming could be a sign that it is about to explode into a spectacular supernova – though nobody quite knows for sure what will happen to the famous star.

The dimming has been noted in recent weeks and have been a gradual process. Each time astronomers observed the star through December it seemed to be less bright, to the point that it has become dimmer than ever before.

Now astronomers think that the behaviour could indicate that something might be about to happen to the star.


Betelgeuse is already approaching its death: it is relatively young, but red giants like Betelgeuse burn bright and then die away in a spectacular supernova.