March 8, 2021
Remember in late 2019, when the famous red star Betelgeuse suddenly and mysteriously began dimming in brightness? Astronomers studying a similar star – VY Canis Majoris, one of the largest and brightest stars in our galaxy – commented that it’s “… behaving a lot like Betelgeuse on steroids.”
View larger. | Artist’s concept of red hypergiant star VY Canis Majoris, with its giant arcs of plasma (reminiscent of prominences on our own sun). According to a new study, these vast arcs are thought to contribute to an observed dimming of this star over the past several centuries. Image via NASA/ ESA/ R. Humphreys (University of Minnesota)/ J. Olmsted (STScI)/ Hubblesite.