The mystery of the mysterious dimming of the star Betelgeuse revealed

Recall that at the end of 2019, Betelgeuse, a bright orange star in the constellation Orion, dimmed by about 66%.

  Some scientists speculated that this was a sign that the star was about to explode as a supernova. But by April 2020, Betelgeuse had regained its brightness. 

To understand the cause of the unusual phenomenon, the authorscompared images taken by the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in January and March 2020: using their example, they tracked the dynamics of changes in the surface of the star. They noted its noticeable darkening in the southern hemisphere, which became ten times dimmer than usual. Moreover, the shape and intensity of the dark spot changed quickly.

We saw the star's appearance change in real time over several weeks. 

Miguel Montarger, employee of the Paris Observatory.

As a result, the authors concluded that the darkening was caused by a dust cloud: a few hours before the sharp decrease in brightness, the star ejected a large gas bubble. 

This cooling was sufficient for heavier elements such as silicon to condense into solid dust in the gas cloud.

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