A couple of weeks ago, I noticed that one of my favorite stars was a lot dimmer than usual. I soon found out that countless people have noticed the same thing. This star is Betelgeuse, in the constellation Orion the hunter.
Orion is a very prominent constellation in the winter sky of the Northern Hemisphere (summer in the Southern Hemisphere). Many features make Orion easy to find, especially the three bright stars which make up the hunter’s belt. Other striking features include two very bright stars: Rigel and Betelgeuse. Rigel is white, and Betelgeuse has a vivid orange color.
Betelgeuse and Rigel have been nearly equal in brightness, but now the dimming of Betelgeuse is easy to see. Unless you live in the North Polar or South Polar regions, you can step outside and see for yourself. Plus, no telescope is needed.
Betelgeuse is in its last, unstable, phase and will “soon” explode as a supernova. When this happens, you will certainly hear about it without the help of any on-line bulletins! Astronomers predict that it will be bright enough to see in the daytime for many days. It is far enough away that no harm to us Earthlings is expected.
Unfortunately, the word “soon” has a special meaning when spoken by an astronomer. It means: “In the next several hundred thousand years”. So, it could happen tonight, or it could be long after our lifetimes. So, we can look forward to watching the orange star continue to dim, brighten up or … whatever.
Keep lookin’ up!
John
Here is a detailed article, with a current picture of Orion.
Older article: Orion the Hunter – Part 1 – Easy to Find
Older article: Orion the Hunter – Part 2, Two Prominent Objects
Real Simple Astronomy 
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