Image of Betelgeuse’s surface taken in March 2020

The red supergiant star Betelgeuse, in the constellation of Orion, underwent an unprecedented dimming in late 2019 and early 2020. This stunning image of the star’s surface was taken with the SPHERE instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope in March 2020, and is one of the images taken during an observing campaign aimed at understanding why the star became fainter. Betelgeuse’s brightness returned to normal in April 2020.

Astronomers now understand that Betelgeuse’s dip in brightness was the result of a dusty veil that emerged from the star, partially concealing its southern region.

Crediti:

ESO/M. Montargès et al.

Riguardo l'immagine

Identificazione:eso2109c
Tipo:Osservazione
Data di rilascio:Mercoledì 16 Giugno 2021 17:00
Notizie relative:eso2109
Grandezza:798 x 798 px

Riguardo all'oggetto

Nome:Betelgeuse
Tipo:Milky Way : Star : Evolutionary Stage : Red Supergiant
Constellation:Orion
Categoria:Stars

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Coordinate

Position (RA):5 55 10.31
Position (Dec):7° 24' 25.44"
Field of view:0.00 x 0.00 arcminutes
Orientazione:Il Nord è a -0.0° a sinistra della verticale

Colori e filtri

BandaLunghezza d'ondaTelescopio
Ottico
H-alpha
645 nmVery Large Telescope
SPHERE