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When we look at stars, we are seeing the light that they are emitting. That light could have left them many years ago. The light from Betelgeuse takes over 640 years to reach us. So if it exploded today, we would not see that explosion for over 640 years. So it is possible that it is already gone, but the light that left before it went is still coming towards us.

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10y ago

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Would it be possible for you to see the star Betelgeuse even if that star had died hundreds of years ago?

The light coming from it takes hundreds of years to reach us, so what you see when you look at it is light that left it hundreds of years ago. So if it did explode and die, then it would take hundreds of years for us to see it happen.


How long does it take Betelgeuse to revolve once?

Betelgeuse does not actually rotate like a solid body, as it is a supergiant star with an irregular shape due to its strong pulsations. It is estimated that Betelgeuse has a rotation period anywhere from tens to hundreds of years.


How long would it take to get to Betelgeuse?

No one really knows, because no one has ever been to Betelgeuse. It would take much more time than getting to Pluto.


Could Betelgeuse already blown up?

It's possible, yes. Betelgeuse is a red giant star that is going through the last stages of life, as viewed from earth. The light from the star takes several hundred years to reach us though, so it's possible that the star has already come to the end of it's life in that time. When it comes to the end of it's life it will explode in a supernova explosion. We should be able to see this from earth, the explosion would be so bright that we could see it during the day.


How far is Betelgeuse from the sun?

Betelgeuse is about 640 light-years from the sun.


How many light years away is betelgeuse?

Betelgeuse is approximately 600 light years from Earth.


How long would it take to get to betelgeuse in a spaceship?

Traveling to Betelgeuse, which is approximately 642.5 light-years away from Earth, would take a significant amount of time, likely hundreds of thousands of years with current spacecraft technology. The distance is so vast that we don't have the capability to travel there at speeds that would make the voyage feasible in a human timescale.


How far away is Betelgeuse?

Betelgeuse is a red supergiant in the constellation Orion. It is approximately 640 light years from us.


How many light years is Betelgeuse from Capella?

Betelgeuse is approximately 430 light years away from Earth, while Capella is about 42.9 light years away. Therefore, Betelgeuse is around 387.1 light years farther away from Capella.


Can a rover landed on betelgeuse?

First of all, Betelgeuse is 640 light-years away from Earth. So, even if a rover is sent to this star at the speed of light, it would take 640 years for it to get there. Second of all, once it reaches there, we would have to control the rover with radio signals. The signals would have to be extremely strong, and would take 640 years to get to the star. This is impossible and impractical. Third of all, Betelgeuse is a huge hot star. If a rover gets anywhere closer than a few million miles to that star, it would completely melt/vaporize. Fourth, as supergiant star, Betelgeuse has no solid surface; only tenuous gasses. So, no, a rover cannot be sent/land on the star Betelgeuse.


How many light years from earth is betelgeuse?

Betelgeuse is approximately 642.5 light years away from Earth.


How long does it take light to reach earth from Betelgeuse?

Betelgeuse is a red supergiant star about 640 light-years from Earth. So light from Betelgeuse takes 640 years to get here. Here's an interesting fact; the star Betelgeuse is probably near the end of its life, and may explode in a supernova explosion any time. Very massive stars like Betelgeuse live fast and die in under 100 million years, and Betelgeuse will probably go supernova within the next 10,000 years. This is like no time at all in cosmic terms, but in terms of a HUMAN lifetime, it probably will NOT happen while we're alive to see it. But it could. In fact, Betelgeuse might have exploded 500 years ago, and we wouldn't know it for another 140 years!