Hubble Telescope records explosion of red supergiant star

According to the recorded information Hubble space telescope, In 2019, star red supergiant betelgeuse exploded and lost a significant portion of its mass and brilliance. Despite this, scientists suggest that the star in the constellation Orion may not be about to explode completely.

The explosion caused a never-before-seen Surface Mass Ejection (SME) as it was 400 billion times larger than a typical coronal mass ejection (SME) event – SMEs are explosions that occur in the Sun’s corona. According to researchers, the star continues to do unusual things, but is slowly recovering.

“We’ve never seen a large mass eject from the surface of a star. Something is happening that we don’t fully understand. This is a brand new phenomenon that we can directly observe and resolve surface details with Hubble. Scientist Andrea Dupree at the Harvard & Smithsonian astrophysics center monitors the evolution of stars in real time.” said.

The data helps scientists understand how red stars lose mass in their final moments of life until they explode as supernovae. Even explosions can change the fate of objects.

Explosion and blackout

The work is being driven by fundamental data obtained by the Hubble Space Telescope, but also with newer information from the STELLA robotic observatory, the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory, the STEREO observing mission, and the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO). .

The explosion at Betelgeuse occurred after an increase in temperature in the depths of the star caused shocks and vibrations, causing significant loss of its surface. Because it was one of the brightest stars, they also noticed a dimming during the eruption period – the event lasted for several months.

“Betelgeuse continues to do very unusual things right now; the interior is kind of bouncing,” Dupree said.

At the moment of the explosion, the mass it released from the star cooled and formed a dark dust cloud, further reducing its brightness. The event interrupted the star’s 400-day oscillation period, which had been followed by astronomers for nearly 200 years.