Talk:Betelgeuse
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What is the actual diameter of Betelgeuse ? In the article 1e12 metres I see: 1200 million km; but the Betelgeuse article mentions this:
- 290 million km -- 1.9 AU -- Minimum diameter of Betelgeuse
- 480 million km -- 3.2 AU -- Maximum diameter of Betelgeuse
and these numbers are also copied in 1e11 metres. In [1] (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970216.html) the NASA makes a claim that is compatible with the first measure, not the last ones: If placed at the center of our Solar System, it would extend past the orbit of Jupiter. I'm not an astronomer, so I can't tell which is true. -- FvdP 12:34 Sep 4, 2002 (PDT)
The discussion continues in Talk:1e12 metres -- FvdP
What is the source of the mass and diameter data? AxelBoldt 20:50 Sep 29, 2002 (UTC)
In response to the conflict in which orbit it would reach in our solar system: I've read that when the sun enters its red giant stage, it will consume the inner planets. I Beetlegeus is a supergiant, then it seems more likely to me that it would pass jupiter were it in our solar system. However, remember that in the article it says that it would pass the orbit of Mars, not making any claims as to where it would actually reach.
--213.118.81.5 23:21, 23 Aug 2004 (UTC)
I am confused about the statement of brightness in the article. It states it is the 13th brightest star in the sky. If one follows the link to the list of brightest stars, it seems that Aldebaran is actually the 13th (as mentioned in the aldebaran article) and Betelgeuse is 10th... so which is it ?
Roarer/Announcer
I'm removing the reference to Betelgeuse being the first star of Orion to rise, since this is probably not correct. Bellatrix rises before Betelgeuse, and on much of the globe (probably for the ancient greeks and arabs too) Rigel also rises before Betlegeuse.
Furthermore, there's a nearby star (in the constellation Canis Major) that is know as Roarer (Murzim), so I'm removing this as well.
I've searched the web for combined references to Betelgeuse/Roarer and Betelgeuse/Announcer, and most if not all of the sites returned are mirrored Wikipedia articles. Others mention that the title of Roarer/Announcer has also been applied to Bellatrix, which would certainly be more correct.
Diameter/Radius
There is a (large) difference between the values of the radius in the table and the diameter. Which one is the right one? Gunnar Larsson 23:10, 12 Feb 2005 (UTC)
Britannica concise encyclopedia 2005, Serbian edition states that Betelgeuse is 500 times larger than the Sun in radius, and the brightest star of the Orion constellation. In our article is stated that Betelgeuse is 650 times larger then the Sun in radius, and that is SECOND brightest star of the Orion? OK, we have already discussed about radius, but what is actually truth when it comes to brightness, (that should be fairly easy to determine)? -- Obradović Goran (talk 19:34, 10 Jun 2005 (UTC)
- Encyclopędia Britannica says (rightly) that Rigel is the brightest star in Orion. On the other hand, Betelgeuse is a variable star. At its brightest, it is almost as bright as Rigel. It may have been sometimes even brighter than Rigel. That may be the reason why it's the alpha star and not Rigel. But that cannot be confirmed. And Bayer atlas is full of such irregularities anyway.--Jyril 21:29, Jun 10, 2005 (UTC)