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Dec 30, 2019

Betelguese, one of the brightest stars in the sky, might be on the brink of explosion

Posted by in category: space

INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) — One of the sky’s brightest stars has been acting a little weird recently.

Betelgeuse, a bright star in the constellation Orion, has been rapidly dimming since the beginning of December. It’s already dimmed by a factor of two, according to the Independent, which makes the change visible to the naked eye. Betelgeuse was once the ninth brightest star in our sky, but after its dimming it doesn’t even break the top 20 anymore, according to the Washington Post.

The star is known as a “variable” star, which means it’s characterized by cycles of brightening and dimming. However, scientists have never recorded it dimming so fast. Astronomers Villanova University say this is an all time low in brightness for the star.

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