Hubble image archive
Illustration of Outburst from Betelgeuse
One Scenario that Led to the Star Betelgeuse's 'Great Dimming' EventThis four-panel graphic illustrates how the southern region of the rapidly evolving, bright red supergiant star Betelgeuse may have suddenly become fainter for several months during late 2019 and early 2020. In t...
- Date
- Jan 1, 2020
- Mission
- Hubble Space Telescope
- Archive ID
- hubblesite-images-2020-44-4724-image
One Scenario that Led to the Star Betelgeuse's 'Great Dimming' Event
This four-panel graphic illustrates how the southern region of the rapidly evolving, bright red supergiant star Betelgeuse may have suddenly become fainter for several months during late 2019 and early 2020. In the first two panels, as seen in ultraviolet light with the Hubble Space Telescope, a bright, hot blob of plasma is ejected from the emergence of a huge convection cell on the star's surface. In panel three, the outflowing expelled gas rapidly expands outward. It cools to form an enormous cloud of obscuring dust grains. The final panel reveals the huge dust cloud blocking the light (as seen from Earth) from a quarter of the star's surface.
Credits
NASA, ESA, and E. Wheatley (STScI)More Images From This Period
Source
Image and source material are credited to the official mission archive linked below.
View on NASA.gov