This comparison image shows the star Betelgeuse before and after its unprecedented dimming. The observations, taken with the SPHERE instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope in January and December 2019, show how much the star has faded and how its apparent shape has changed. Credit: ESO/M. Montargès et al.
This comparison image shows the star Betelgeuse before and after its unprecedented dimming. The observations, taken with the SPHERE instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope in January and December 2019, show how much the star has faded and how its apparent shape has changed. Credit: ESO/M. Montargès et al. An international team of astronomers, including Alex de Koter of the University of Amsterdam, has used ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) to capture the unprecedented dimming of red supergiant Betelgeuse. The stunning new images of the star's surface show not only the fading of the famous red supergiant in Orion's belt, but also how its apparent shape is changing. Betelgeuse has been a beacon in the night sky for stellar observers but it began to dim late last year.
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