What look like dramatic flames are actually clouds of dust surrounding the red supergiant star Betelgeuse, as photographed in infrared light by the Very Large Telescope in Chile. The black disk blocks the star’s bright light to allow the dust plumes to show. Betelgeuse itself, photographed by the SPHERE instrument in Chile, is superimposed in the center of the black disk.
ESO, Pierre Kervella, M. Montargès et al