As the church calendar transitions to Epiphany and we remember the journey of the Magi, it is hard to ignore the contemporary parallels as many of our learned men and women find themselves captivated by one particular star. This time around, the fuss is over Betelgeuse, one of the shoulders in the constellation Orion and one of the brightest stars in the night sky. Betelgeuse is a variable star, meaning that its brightness waxes and wanes, but it has attracted attention because it has dimmed to its faintest appearance on record. No one knows why, although the most exciting possibility is that it will soon go supernova and explode. Not every star is big enough to end up as a supernova; Betelgeuse is the closest one that could. It is so large (wider across than the orbit of Mars) and so close that the explosion would be visible in the daytime for weeks.
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