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Star Betelgeuse - A red supergiant in the constellation Orion

One fascinating star is Betelgeuse, a red supergiant located in the constellation Orion. Here are some intriguing facts about it: 1. Size and Volume: Betelgeuse is immense—if placed at the center of our solar system, it would extend past the orbit of Mars. 2. Variability: It is a pulsating variable star, meaning its brightness changes over time; it has been observed to vary in brightness over several months. 3. Life Cycle: Betelgeuse is nearing the end of its life cycle and is expected to explode as a supernova within the next million years, a relatively short time in astrophysical terms. 4. Distance: It is located approximately 640 light-years away from Earth. 5. Cultural Significance: Betelgeuse has been significant in many cultures and is commonly referred to as the “Shoulder of the Hunter” in the constellation Orion. 6. Color Indicator: Its reddish hue signifies a cooler surface temperature compared to other stars, which gives it a distinctive appearance. Betelgeuse con...

A model that computes the fraction of the 'haystack' that SETI programs have collectively examined

Why haven't we found evidence of life anywhere but Earth? A trio of astrophysicists has revisited this question by taking a closer look at the "needle in a haystack" analogy. Their analysis involved creating a model to assess the amount of work that has been done searching for extraterrestrial life, the Search for Extra-terrestrial Intelligence (SETI) project, compared to how much is required before scientists can rule out the possibility that there is none. Jason Wright, Shubham Kanodia and Emily Lubar have written a paper describing their efforts and uploaded it to the arXiv preprint server.

from Astronomy News - Space News, Exploration News, Earth Science News, Earth Science https://ift.tt/2xW05vA

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