Betelgeuse is a red supergiant star visible to sky watchers in the "shoulder" of the constellation of Orion, the Hunter. In late 2019 Betelgeuse began to undergo a surprising "dimming" event before recovering its typical brightness several months later. In this two-part podcast, hear how astronomers have been using observations at radio wavelengths, combined with data from other telescopes, to uncover the cause of this historic dimming event, and what it means for the future evolution of this star.
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Betelgeuse is a red supergiant star visible to sky watchers in the "shoulder" of the constellation of Orion, the Hunter. In late 2019 Betelgeuse began to undergo a surprising "dimming" event before recovering its typical brightness several months later. In this two-part podcast, hear how astronomers have been using observations at radio wavelengths, combined with data from other telescopes, to uncover the cause of this historic dimming event, and what it means for the future evolution of this star.
As they near the end of their lives, stars like the Sun eventually deplete the supply of nuclear fuel in their cores. At this point, the outer layers expand and cool, until the star swells to as much as a hundred or more times its original size. Such stars are known as "red giants".
Red giants are known to be rampant cosmic polluters, spewing large amounts of matter into space. In this podcast, learn how recent radio wavelength observations are leading to new insights into this process, including the discovery that some red giants are trailed by previously invisible wakes of debris up to several light years long!
Radio Stars
Betelgeuse is a red supergiant star visible to sky watchers in the "shoulder" of the constellation of Orion, the Hunter. In late 2019 Betelgeuse began to undergo a surprising "dimming" event before recovering its typical brightness several months later. In this two-part podcast, hear how astronomers have been using observations at radio wavelengths, combined with data from other telescopes, to uncover the cause of this historic dimming event, and what it means for the future evolution of this star.
