Star

Betelgeuse

Also known as ALPHA ORIONIS · YAD AL-JAUZA · IBT AL-JAUZA

A doomed red supergiant in Orion.

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Rises: 20:48
Transit: 03:11
Sets: 09:38

One of the largest stars visible to the naked eye. Will explode as a supernova within ~100,000 years.

Observing

Distinctly orange-red — forms Orion's right shoulder. Dimmed dramatically in 2019–2020 ('Great Dimming').

Observing from Chitral

Its deep orange colour is unmistakable overhead in winter and makes a good naked-eye colour contrast against blue-white Rigel in the same constellation. Because it varies irregularly by up to a magnitude, it is a rewarding long-term naked-eye variable to log across a season.

History & culture

The 2019–2020 'Great Dimming' dropped Betelgeuse to its faintest recorded brightness and briefly raised hopes of an imminent supernova; the cause turned out to be a dust cloud ejected by the star itself.