Orion’s red giant: Giant, magnetic, explosive?

    Activity: Talks and presentations › Talks and presentations in private or public companies

    Description

    Astronomical lecture on Betelgeuse, the red giant star in the well-known constellation Orion.

    Throughout the ages, its clear and varying light on the giant Orion's shoulder has fascinated generations and cultures.

    The latest observations suggest that the star is also magnetic, that it may have gigantic sunspots - and that it will probably end its days in a huge supernova explosion, which for a while will illuminate the night as clearly as the full moon.

    The lecture will begin with a selection of popular and in some cases erroneous notions about Betelgeuse from news media and social media, films etc. Then we learn about the historical star seen with the eyes of previous cultures, after which we get a lightning course in star basic astronomy.

    We conclude with news from the latest research on Betelgeuse, observations, theories and computer models, as well as the bids of the research on Betelgeuse finally as a supernova, which might even match Tycho Brahe’s stella nova.
    Period15. Apr 2019 → 27. Apr 2019
    Event titleForskningens Døgn 2019: Bestil en Forsker
    Event typeOther
    LocationDenmarkShow on map
    Degree of RecognitionNational

    Keywords

    • Betelgeuse
    • Stars
    • Astronomy
    • Magnetism
    • Supernova
    • Fake News
    • Scientific Method

    Documents & Links

    Related content