Tuesday, December 13, 2016

If the star Betelgeuse were to die today, would it become a black hole?

The star Betelgeuse is one of the more prominent stars in our sky. It is a part of the Orion constellation and is the ninth brightest star in the night sky. It is at a distance of about 640 light-years from our Earth.
Betelgeuse is a massive star, and its mass has been estimated to be between 9.5–21 times the mass of our Sun. It is a very young star as compared to our Sun, at only 10 million years of age; however, it is close to the end of its life.
Betelgeuse is a red supergiant and is expected to undergo the supernova phase sometime soon ("soon" being a relative term—it could be in the next few years or a few million years). The supernova explosion of the star is a certainty, but what will happen to it afterward cannot be easily estimated.
After the supernova phase, this star can end up as either a neutron star or a black hole. The final phase of its life depends on how much mass of the star is left after the supernova explosion. It is estimated that if the leftover mass is less than 2–3 solar masses, it will end up as a neutron star. However, if the leftover mass is more than 3 solar masses, there are chances that Betelgeuse will end up as a black hole.
Recent scientific studies have estimated that this star will end up as a neutron star and not as a black hole.
However, we will know for sure only after the supernova explosion has taken place.
Hope this helps.

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