Theres a famous star that I’m sure you’ve seen in the sky. Its name is Betelgeuse, and you can find it in the Orion constellation, where it marks Orion’s right shoulder. If you want to call it “Beetlejuice,” I’m fine with that so long as you don’t say it three times.
But something is going on up there. This red supergiant has dimmed repeatedly in the past few years, which could mean that it’s ready to go full supernova quite soon—and by “soon” we mean within the next 10,000 years. Actually, since it’s some 500 light-years away, it’s possible that it already exploded and we just don’t know it yet.
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