4 Jun 2023

Alan Gilmore: What's bugging Betelgeuse?

From Sunday Morning, 11:30 am on 4 June 2023

One of the brightest stars in the sky is behaving strangely, pulsating from bright to dim twice as quickly as usual.  

At the moment Betelgeuse is very bright in the night. What's going on?  

If anyone knows it'll be Alan Gilmore. Alan's one of our most distinguished astronomers; he once ran the Mt John Observatory and is still involved with the near-asteroid programme at Mt John with his wife, Pam. 

Illustration of the constellation of Orion, one of the most conspicuous in the night sky. Situated on the celestial equator, Orion is visible from most parts of the world. (Photo by MARK GARLICK/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRA / MGA / Science Photo Library via AFP)

Photo: MARK GARLICK/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRA