Giant spots may be the cause causing massive star Betelgeuse’s dimming.
Giant spots may be the cause behind massive star Betelgeuse’s dimming.
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The Max Planck Society reports that astronomers observed an alarming 40% drop in its light output "between October 2019 and April 2020."
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Theories since have included a supernova explosion being imminent and that "dust, recently ejected by Betelgeuse," was obscuring the star.
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The society notes that "an international team of astronomers…[has] now demonstrated that temperature variations in…the luminous surface of the star…caused the brightness to drop."
ESO/M. Montargès et al.
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The most "plausible" explanation for that decrease is said to be "gigantic cool star spots, similar to sunspots, which…cover 50 to 70% of the star’s surface."
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