Betelgeuse
Position on the route: 116/130 · level needed 2400 · journey (Mk0 engine) 408.7 h
By the numbers
| Distance | ≈ 548 light-years |
|---|---|
| Radius | ≈ 700–900 Suns |
| Type | Red supergiant |
| Great Dimming | 2019–2020 |
The story
Betelgeuse is the red supergiant at Orion’s shoulder: a radius about 700–900 times the Sun’s; placed at the centre of the Solar System it would reach to Jupiter’s orbit. It is 8–9 million years old and close to using up its fuel: it will go supernova soon in cosmic terms (tomorrow, or in 100,000 years).
In 2019–2020 its brightness dipped unexpectedly: the ‘Great Dimming’. Hubble and ground telescopes explained it as a big cloud of dust thrown off by the star. In 2025 a companion star was reported around it.
Missions
- Hubble and ALMA: images of the surface and atmosphere
- Great Dimming monitoring campaigns
Colony note
A star has no surface; only a very distant, heavily shielded orbital station.
☠ A red supergiant: no surface, and the star would swallow the orbit of Jupiter. Only a very distant orbital station.
What probes bring back
- ≈ 548 light-years: a red supergiant roughly 700–900 times the Sun’s radius; it would reach out to Jupiter’s orbit.
- In 2019–2020 the ‘Great Dimming’: it suddenly faded, because of a puff of dust ejected from the star. It will go supernova soon (in cosmic terms).