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.
Betelgeuse is a , meaning its brightness fluctuates over time. alpha orionis
Usually the 10th brightest star in the night sky, its magnitude typically ranges from +0.0 to +1.3 . Despite being only about 8 to 10 million
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 Recent studies suggest the existence of a smaller,
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.
If placed at the center of our solar system, it would engulf the orbits of Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars, likely extending past Jupiter's orbit .