Alpha Orionis May 2026

A red supergiant nearing the end of its life cycle.

Distinctive orange-red hue, visible even without equipment. Variability and Observation

Despite being only about 8 to 10 million years old —much younger than our 4.6-billion-year-old Sun—its massive size caused it to evolve rapidly. alpha orionis

Betelgeuse is a , meaning its brightness fluctuates over time.

Usually the 10th brightest star in the night sky, its magnitude typically ranges from +0.0 to +1.3 . A red supergiant nearing the end of its life cycle

In late 2019 and early 2020, it experienced a historic drop in brightness, eventually attributed to a massive surface mass ejection that cooled into an obscuring dust cloud.

Recent studies suggest the existence of a smaller, Sun-like companion star (Betelgeuse B) that may influence its long-term brightness cycles. Life Cycle and Future Betelgeuse is a , meaning its brightness fluctuates

It is roughly 100,000 times brighter than the Sun but significantly cooler, with a surface temperature of approximately 3,600 Kelvin (6,020°F).