News Space

Betelgeuse shrinks

The red supergiant has lost 15 percent of its size

By Ron Cowen

- More than 2 years ago

PASADENA, Calif. — Betelgeuse, one of the brightest stars visible to the naked eye, has shrunk in diameter by more than 15 percent since 1993.

SHRINKING GIANT This ultraviolet image of the red supergiant star Betelgeuse was taken in 1996 with the Hubble Space Telescope. New infrared observations with a ground-based interferometer now reveal that the star’s diameter has mysteriously shrunk by more than 15 percent over the past 15 years.