What Will It Look Like When Betelgeuse Goes Supernova? (4K UHD)

One day in around 5 billion years from now, the sun will swell into a red giant as it runs out of hydrogen and enters into the final stages of its life cycle. Although the sun's ending will obviously be a colossal event for our solar system, it is nothing compared to other more massive stars that can swell into rare red supergiants under the correct intense conditions, eventually exploding in a catastrophic event known as a supernova. At an estimated 640 light years away, there is a star so big that if it was at the centre of our solar system, it would consume the orbits of Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars and possibly even Jupiter. This gigantic star can be located in the constellation of Orion. It is one of the 10 brightest stars in the night sky and its name is Betelgeuse. Also known as Alpha Orionis, Betelgeuse is a huge red supergiant star that fluctuates in size from between 700 and 1,000 times the diameter of the sun, making it one of the largest known stars in the Milky Way Galaxy. Betelgeuse is about 10,000 times brighter in visible light, but if the human eye could view all the wavelengths of radiation, it would be the brightest star in the night sky. The reason for its variable size and brightness is because the colossal star is nearing the end of its life cycle. At 10 million years of age, it is already an old supergiant star. Betelgeuse would have burnt through its hydrogen relatively quickly, reducing its lifespan considerably compared to smaller stars such as the sun, which is expected to exist for about 6 billion more years. What makes this distant star so special from our perspective however, is that within the next million years or so, Betelgeuse will explode in a magnificent supernova that will be visible from Earth. As a red supergiant, Betelgeuse's innermost region will be fusing heavier and heavier elements until its core is so heavy, it cannot withstand its own gravitational force. During these final moments, the colossal star's core will collapse in on itself and cause a giant explosion. After an initial brief flash, Betelgeuse will increasingly grow in luminosity over a period of weeks, becoming billions of times more brighter than the sun. From Earth, the explosion may be as bright as the moon and could potentially still be visible during the day. It may also last for a couple of weeks or even months, eventually fading away into the darkness of space. Because Betelgeuse is estimated to be 640 light years away, it does mean that the bright star may have already gone supernova at any time from the 14th century onwards. But this is not the first time a magnificent celestial event like this has been viewable from Earth. As recently as 1604, Kepler's star exploded in a supernova event that lasted for over three weeks and was bright enough for it to be visible during the day. Since then, many other stars outside of the Milky Way have also exploded, but none as close as Betelgeuse. According to scientists, Betelgeuse's colossal distance from us means it would be unlikely that the radiation from the supernova would affect Earth and that the explosion would have to happen within 25 light years to cause any real problems. So if you want to keep an eye on Betelgeuse, then the distinctive star can be located in the upper left corner of the Orion constellation, marking the legendary hunter's shoulder and appears as a reddish-orange colored star. But when you observe it, remember that flickering distant source of light may have already exploded and the light from the cataclysm is potentially on its way towards you, ready to cause a spectacular once-in-a-lifetime celestial show.