New study sheds light on the mysterious dimming of Betelgeuse

[Still Waters]

Betelgeuse (α Orionis) is the bright reddish star located in the shoulder of the Orion constellation and can be seen by the naked eye in the night sky.

From October 2019 to March 2020, Betelgeuse demonstrated a mysterious dimming, capturing the attention and imagination of both astronomers and the public. While being a variable star that exhibits periodic and sometimes irregular light change, this dimming is the most significant observed in the last 50 years. It became fainter by more than 2.5 times, which even can be noticed by the naked eye in the night sky. Several scenarios have been put forward by astronomers around the world: pre-phase of supernova explosion, obscuring dust, or changes in the photosphere of the star.

A new study led by Prof. Zhao Gang from National Astronomical Observatories of Chinese Academy of Sciences (NAOC) sheds light on the nature of the mysterious dimming of Betelgeuse. Scientists from Shandong University and the University of Missouri (U.S.) also joined this study.

The study was published in Nature Communications on August 5, 2021.

https://phys.org/news/2021-08-mysterious-dimming-betelgeuse.html

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-25018-3

Previous study:

https://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum/topic/347878-mystery-of-betelgeuses-dip-in-brightness-solved/?