Image of Betelgeuse’s surface taken in January 2019

When the red supergiant star Betelgeuse became visibly darker in late 2019 and early 2020, astronomers were puzzled. This image of the star was taken before Betelgeuse started to fade, using the SPHERE instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope. When compared with later images, taken in December 2019, January 2020 and March 2020, it is clear that the southern region of the star dimmed significantly, before beginning to its normal brightness.

Astronomers now know that this unprecedented dimming was the result of a cloud of dust that emerged from the star.

An earlier version of this image was released in early 2020.

Oikeudet:

ESO/M. Montargès et al.

Kuvasta

Tunnistus:eso2109f
Tyyppi:Havainto
Julkaisupäivä:16. kesäkuuta 2021 17:00
Vastaavat julkaisut:eso2109
Koko:798 x 798 px

Kohteesta

Nimi:Betelgeuse
Tyyppi:Milky Way : Star : Evolutionary Stage : Red Supergiant
Constellation:Orion
Kategoria:Stars

Kuvaformaatit

Suuri JPEG
38,3 KB
Kokoruudun JPEG
41,1 KB

Koordinaatit

Position (RA):5 55 10.31
Position (Dec):7° 24' 25.44"
Field of view:0.00 x 0.00 arcminutes
Suuntaus:Pohjoinen on -0.0° vasen pystysuuntaan nähden

Värit ja suotimet

KaistaAallonpituusTeleskooppi
Optinen
H-alpha
645 nmVery Large Telescope
SPHERE