--- title: "Supergiant Star Betelgeuse Dimmed Mysteriously, and Now We Know Why" description: "Scientists found that a mysterious dip in the brightness of Betelgeuse was not the sign of an imminent supernova, but evidence of the creation of stardust." date: "2021-06-16" modified: "2021-06-17" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/figured-out-why-betelgeuse-dimmed" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "betelgeuse" - "red supergiant" - "supernova" - "the digest" --- # Supergiant Star Betelgeuse Dimmed Mysteriously, and Now We Know Why ![Scientists found that a mysterious dip in the brightness of Betelgeuse was not the sign of an imminent supernova, but evidence of the creation of stardust.]() *\Image: ESO\* ## The Great Dimming In late 2019, astronomers noticed something strange: Betelgeuse, a red supergiant in the Orion constellation some 550 light years away from Earth (and the tenth brightest star in the night sky), abruptly dipped in brightness. The strange event, now dubbed the "Great Dimming," had scientists scratching their heads — and leading some to believe it's [about to blow up in a supernova](). But thanks to a team of scientists, who used the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile, the dip isn't a sign of the star's imminent demise. It's most likely a [gigantic dust cloud]() coming between us and Betelgeuse. ## Making Stardust In a [new study]() published today in the reputable journal *Nature*, the international team laid out their theory. A dusty veil shaded the star, which caused the surface temperature of the supergiant to cool. They suggest that prior to the Great Dimming, Betelgeuse let out a massive gas bubble that moved away from it. Thanks to a drop in surface temperature, the gas condensed into solid dust. "We have directly witnessed the formation of so-called stardust," said Miguel Montargès, astronomer at the Observatoire de Paris in France, and team lead, in [an official statement](). "The dust expelled from cool evolved stars, such as the ejection we've just witnessed, could go on to become the building blocks of terrestrial planets and life," said Emily Cannon, astrophysics PhD at KU Leuven in Belgium and co-author, in the statement. In short, Betelgeuse isn't about to go AWOL — in fact, we haven't witnessed a supernova in our galaxy since at least the 17th century. In fact, it's quite the opposite: a nearby star breathing life into other planets around it. *Editor's note 6/17/2021: This story incorrectly stated the university KU Leuven is in the Netherlands. It is in fact located in Belgium.* **READ MORE:** [Mystery of Betelgeuse's dip in brightness solved]() \[ESO\] **More on Betelgeuse:** *[MIT Scientists: Nearby Star Appears to Be Cranking Out Dark Matter]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()