VILLANOVA, PENNSYLVANIA — Astronomers from Villanova University recently published an article noting that Betelgeuse in the constellation Orion has been significantly dimmer in recent months, leading some to speculate it could go supernova.<br /><br />According to CNet, one possible explanation for the dimming is that Betelgeuse is out of fuel and has begun to collapse on itself resulting in a supernova explosion. Once the star explodes, the explosion would be visible during daylight and could even be brighter than the moon at night for a few weeks or even months.<br /><br />However, astronomers say this is unlikely.<br /><br />The other likely explanation is that because Betelgeuse is a variable star that has been dimming and brightening for a millennia, the dimming could just be the most significant dip in the past 50 years or so, which is a very short amount of time in the star's lifespan. <br />NASA's website states that Betelgeuse is over 1,000 times larger than our sun.<br /><br />The star's radius is also big enough to encompass Jupiter and all four planets in our inner solar system: Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars, CNet reports.
