According to several experts, the Alpha Orionis star On its way to becoming a supernova, also known as Betelgeuse. Astronomers at Tohoku University in Japan, in a new study accepted in the scientific journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomy Society and published in the preprint journal arXiv, Explain that the core of the star will collapse in just a few decades.
As the new study explains, the star’s core will collapse in a few decades, as the data collected shows that Betelgeuse is in the final stages of burning carbon in its core – with a few decades meaning less. more than a few hundred years”. Once the star’s carbon is depleted, the core will collapse, causing a supernova.
“Betelgeuse is in the final stage of core carbon burning and is a good candidate for the next galactic supernova. In fact, it’s not possible to pinpoint the exact evolutionary stage because surface conditions hardly change during and after the final stage near carbon depletion,” the researchers explain in the study.
When will Betelgeuse go supernova?
The study explains that over billions of years most of the star’s hydrogen was converted to helium, but new data shows that conversion is over. Now, Betelgeuse uses carbon as a fuel source.
Scientists believe the star must go through some stages of its carbon-burning cycle before it explodes and goes supernova. Because the researchers were unable to identify what the current stage of carbon burning was, they were unable to identify a specific estimate for the event.
Betelgeuse is considered one of the brightest stars visible from Earth, is the second brightest star in the constellation Orion, and is classified as a red supergiant. After the carbon runs out and is no longer a fuel, the star has to burn off the heavier elements until it collapses and forms a supernova.
Nevertheless, It is important to be clear that some experts do not agree that the star is in its final stages to become a supernova.They even believe that helium remains the main fuel in its core.
Source: Tec Mundo
I’m Blaine Morgan, an experienced journalist and writer with over 8 years of experience in the tech industry. My expertise lies in writing about technology news and trends, covering everything from cutting-edge gadgets to emerging software developments. I’ve written for several leading publications including Gadget Onus where I am an author.
