It is still true: Astronomers expect Betelgeuse to explode as a supernova within the next 100,000 years when its core collapses. But the star’s dimming, which began in October, wasn’t necessarily a sign of an imminent supernova, according to Massey. Another posited that huge convection cells within Betelgeuse had drawn hot material up to its surface, where it had cooled before falling back into the interior. “A simple way to tell between these possibilities is to determine the effective surface temperature of Betelgeuse,” Massey said. Measuring a star’s temperature is no straightforward task.

Source: Daily Sun March 07, 2020 15:33 UTC