THE NEXT SUPERNOVA?

In the near future, the full Moon will have a luminous rival as a cataclysmic event 650 light years away will momentarily shine with the brightness of 10 billion Suns. The aftereffects will hang in our sky for many months, and permanently alter our night sky in a way not witnessed in recent human history. Betelgeuse is one of our most recognisable stars. Forming part of the Orion constellation, its bright-red appearance, due to its vast size, has been noted by stargazers since antiquity.

Place Betelgeuse in the exact location of our Sun and the star’s equator would extend out to the orbit of Jupiter, with all the inner rocky planets moving along inside its fiery outer atmosphere. For the majority of people living under light-polluted city skies without a telescope, Betelgeuse is likely the largest object they will ever set their eyes on.

In recent months, however, it has been trickier to spot. The star described by the ancient Greek astronomer Ptolemy and named by medieval Islamic astronomers has started to fade from view. A notice posted in December by astronomer Edward Guinan at Villanova University described it as about half as bright