Science

Sancho

(9,103 posts) Mon Sep 23, 2024, 03:12 AM Sep 23

James Webb Telescope Just Detected SUDDEN 250% Increase In Betelgeuse's Brightness!

In this video, we look at a startling new discovery revealed by the James Webb Space Telescope: a rapid and dramatic 250% increase in the brightness of Betelgeuse! Betelgeuse, one of the most well-known stars in the night sky, has long piqued astronomical interest, particularly since it dimmed dramatically in recent years, sparking speculation of an impending supernova. However, with this unexpected increase in luminosity, the red supergiant has taken scientists by surprise once more.

We examine what this unusual event means for Betelgeuse and what the James Webb Space Telescope has discovered thus far. Could this be a hint that the star is approaching the end of its life? Or are other cosmic factors at work, producing the increase in luminosity? Join us as we delve into the most recent data, evaluate expert viewpoints, and speculate on the fate of one of our galaxy's most mysterious stars.

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James Webb Telescope Just Detected SUDDEN 250% Increase In Betelgeuse's Brightness! (Original Post) Sancho Sep 23 OP

Tonight or 100,000 years from now? Frasier Balzov Sep 23 #1

??? epreic01 Sep 23 #2

dimming then brightening could indicate a binary rampartd Sep 23 #3

If there were a binary, we'd know already. Not that. Clouds are a factor, but not interstellar clouds Bernardo de La Paz Sep 23 #5

Well, you say that, but: "One of the brightest stars in the sky may actually be 2 stars, study hints" muriel_volestrangler Sep 23 #11

Interesting. Thanks for posting. A companion dispersing dust clouds: could be. . . . . nt Bernardo de La Paz Sep 23 #12

Not over the time frame, and with the irregularity described here. If it Betelgeuse were a binary, it would have Martin68 Sep 23 #7

I've heard of movie hype but this is ridiculous lol Cheezoholic Sep 23 #4

Smells like AI generated junk to me. IA8IT Sep 23 #6

What makes you say that? If it is just vibes, you need to reset your detector. . . . nt Bernardo de La Paz Sep 23 #13

Could have been an interstellar gas/dust cloud passed between us...nt Wounded Bear Sep 23 #8

Some companies will do anything to sell their leftover eclipse glasses! 😁 Wonder Why Sep 23 #9

Betelgeuse! Betelgeuse! Betelgeuse! dweller Sep 23 #10

Frasier Balzov

(3,486 posts)

1. Tonight or 100,000 years from now?

Reply to Sancho (Original post)

Mon Sep 23, 2024, 03:47 AM

Sep 23

I'm on pins and needles!

epreic01

(262 posts)

2. ???

Reply to Sancho (Original post)

Mon Sep 23, 2024, 03:47 AM

Sep 23

Did someone say his name 3 times?

rampartd

(327 posts)

3. dimming then brightening could indicate a binary

Reply to Sancho (Original post)

Mon Sep 23, 2024, 04:40 AM

Sep 23

the darker eclipsing the brighter (at how many light years distance?) as their orbits develop?

or clouds of interstellar gas or dark matter in the endless intervening space.

a supernova in real time, from a safe distance, would be a sight for the ages.

Bernardo de La Paz

(50,917 posts)

5. If there were a binary, we'd know already. Not that. Clouds are a factor, but not interstellar clouds

Reply to rampartd (Reply #3)

Mon Sep 23, 2024, 05:06 AM

Sep 23

Infrared observations found no significant change in luminosity over the last 50 years, suggesting that the dimming was due to a change in extinction around the star rather than a more fundamental change. A study using the Hubble Space Telescope suggests that occluding dust was created by a surface mass ejection; this material was cast millions of miles from the star, and then cooled to form the dust that caused the dimming. -- Wikipedia

muriel_volestrangler

(102,483 posts)

11. Well, you say that, but: "One of the brightest stars in the sky may actually be 2 stars, study hints"

Reply to Bernardo de La Paz (Reply #5)

Mon Sep 23, 2024, 09:39 AM

Sep 23

By Deepa Jain published September 11, 2024

A new theoretical study proposes that Betelgeuse has a sunlike companion that orbits it and may be responsible for its perplexing periodic brightening.

If you train a telescope on Betelgeuse for weeks, you'll see it dimming, then brightening, then dimming again. These pulsations stretch over roughly 400 days, although the 2020 "Great Dimming" event reveals such periodicity may occasionally go awry. But if you plotted Betelgeuse's light intensity over years, you'd find these 400-day-long heartbeats superimposed on a much larger, slower heartbeat. Technically called a long secondary period (LSP), this second type of heartbeat lasts about six years, or 2,170 days, in Betelgeuse's case.
...
Ultimately, only one scenario could explain all of Betelgeuse's parameters: a companion star that plows through dust clouds enveloping Betelgeuse.

According to the team's hypothesis, when the companion star — which the team calls "Betelbuddy" — sails into view of Earth, it temporarily disperses the clouds of dust surrounding its partner. Because this dust typically blocks Betelgeuse, its absence causes the star to look brighter from Earth's point of view.

https://www.livescience.com/space/astronomy/betelgeuse-may-have-a-sunlike-companion-study-suggests

I have no idea if the video in the OP goes into this - it looks too sensational and loaded with ads to be worth watching.

Their paper (not yet peer-reviewed):

A Buddy for Betelgeuse: Binarity as the Origin of the Long Secondary Period in α Orionis

We predict the existence of α Ori B, a low-mass companion orbiting Betelgeuse. This is motivated by the presence of a 2170-day Long Secondary Period (LSP) in Betelgeuse's lightcurve, a periodicity ≈5 times longer than the star's 416 day fundamental radial pulsation mode. While binarity is currently the leading hypothesis for LSPs in general, the LSP and the radial velocity variation observed in Betelgeuse, taken together, necessitate a revision of the prevailing physical picture. The lightcurve-RV phase difference requires a companion to be behind Betelgeuse at the LSP luminosity minimum, 180 degrees out of phase with the system orientation associated with occultation. We demonstrate the consistency of this model with available observational constraints and identify tensions in all other proposed LSP hypotheses. Within this framework, we calculate a mass for α Ori B of 1.17±0.7M⊙ and an orbital separation of 1850±70R⊙, or 2.43+0.21−0.32 times the radius of Betelgeuse. We then describe the features of the companion as constrained by the fundamental parameters of Betelgeuse and its orbital system, and discuss what would be required to confirm the companion's existence observationally.

https://arxiv.org/abs/2408.09089