UNITED STATES: According to new research, a wandering black hole may have been a factor in the dimming of the red giant Betelgeuse. The intruder may have created a tidal bulge, dimming Betelgeuse’s surface, by swinging close to the massive star.
Researchers propose in a new paper that the black hole scenario can account for the observed dimming of Betelgeuse.
However, according to the researchers, the black hole isn’t the only factor behind the phenomenon. It may have started off other effects on the star that worsened the issue.
One of the sky’s most easily recognizable stars is Betelgeuse. It is usually the tenth brightest star in the sky and is visible as Orion’s bright red shoulder.
The red supergiant would engulf all of the inner rocky planets in our solar system and extend from the sun to the asteroid belt.
The asteroid belt is a cluster of asteroids that revolve around the sun between Mars and Jupiter.
Betelgeuse is close to the end of its life cycle. It is enormous due to switching from fusing hydrogen in its core to fusing helium. The switch happened a long time ago.
A hydrogen-burning shell surrounds the core of Betelgeuse. The energies due to the intensity of fusion reactions in and around the core push the outer atmosphere layers outward, causing the star to expand.
Betelgeuse and other red supergiant stars are the universe’s most prominent by volume. In addition, they are incredibly bright, despite being relatively colder. They can pump out enormous amounts of light due to their sheer surface area.
It surprised astronomers when, toward the end of 2019, the red giant began to lose light for no apparent reason.
Betelgeuse’s absolute brightness decreased by about 60% at its lowest point as the dimming continued into early 2020.
The star began to brighten up again in February 2020, reaching its normal intensity levels.
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