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Disruption of the Red Supergiant Star Betelgeuse

This artist's illustration plots the disruption of the red supergiant star Betelgeuse following the titanic mass ejection of a large piece of its visible surface. The escaping material cooled to form a dust cloud that temporarily made the star look dimmer as seen from Earth. This unprecedented stellar convulsion disrupted the monster star's 400-day-long brightness oscillation period that astronomers had measured for more than 200 years. The star's interior may now be jiggling like a plate of gelatin dessert.

This illustration plots changes in the brightness of the red supergiant star Betelgeuse, following the titanic mass ejection of a large piece of its visible surface. The escaping material cooled to form a cloud of dust that temporarily made the star look dimmer, as seen from Earth. This unprecedented stellar convulsion disrupted the monster star’s 400-day-long oscillation period that astronomers had measured for more than 200 years. The interior may now be jiggling like a plate of gelatin dessert.

  • Release Date
    August 11, 2022
  • Science Release
    Hubble Sees Red Supergiant Star Betelgeuse Slowly Recovering After Blowing Its Top
    Read the release
  • Credit
    NASA, ESA, Elizabeth Wheatley (STScI)

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Last Updated
Aug 17, 2025
Contact
Media

Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov

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