Starwatch: Betelgeuse – a fading star heading for an explosive end?

The variable red giant in Orion is one of the brightest stars in the sky. But it is at its dimmest for over a century. This may - or may not - indicate that it is about to blow

The magnificent constellation of Orion, the hunter, is now visible in the evening sky from both hemispheres, and there's added interest in looking out for it over the next few weeks. The red giant star Betelgeuse marks one of the hunter's shoulders and is one of the brightest stars in the sky - or at least it was. In December, it grew conspicuously dimmer. Although known to be a variable star, Betelgeuse is now at its dimmest for more than a century.