Star · M2I
Betelgeuse
Betelgeuse is a supergiant star of spectral type M2I in the constellation Orion, 498.0 light-years from the Sun.
| Other names | α Ori · HIP 27989 |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Orion |
| Distance | 498.0 light-years (152.7 pc) |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 0.45 |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −5.47 |
| Spectral type | M2I |
| Surface temperature | 3,790 K |
| Luminosity | 48,500 L☉ |
| Radius | 510 R☉ |
| Mass | 19.8 M☉ (estimated) |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 5h 55m 10.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +7° 24′ 25″ |
| Space velocity (relative to the Sun) | 30.7 km/s |
In the sky
Visible to the naked eye under a dark sky (apparent magnitude 0.45). Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 83° S. It stands highest at midnight in December, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out around the year 1528. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 8.8 million years.
The Sun seen from there
From a planet around Betelgeuse, the Sun would look like a star of magnitude 10.75, in the direction where our sky has the constellation Ophiuchus. It would be invisible to the naked eye.
Position, brightness and colour from the HYG / AT-HYG catalogue; temperature, luminosity, radius and mass are approximate values computed from these observations.