Betelgeuse
Betelgeuse (Alpha Orionis) is a red supergiant in the constellation Orion and one of the brightest stars in the night sky. As a supernova candidate it is a focus of astrophysics research.
astronomy.stars
Metrics
Category
Spektralklasse M1-2 Ia-ab.
Diameter
Approx. 640–764 solar radii. Placed in the Solar System, its surface would extend beyond the orbit of Mars.
Mass
Current mass in solar masses. Initial mass estimated at 18–21 M☉.
Surface Temperature
Effective temperature approx. 3,250–3,690 K.
Relations
Betelgeuse has 640–764 times the radius of the Sun and 100,000 times its luminosity.
Factor: 700 Sonnenradien · Direction: A_gt_B
Explanations
Betelgeuse (Alpha Orionis) is a red supergiant in the constellation Orion and one of the brightest stars in the night sky. With a diameter of about 890 to 1,065 million kilometers, it is roughly 700 times larger than our Sun, even though it's only 14–19 times more massive. Its surface temperature of 3500 K gives it a red colour, and it radiates about 100,000 times more light than the Sun. Astrophysicists watch it closely because it's considered a supernova candidate that could explode at any time.
Sources
NASA-Überblick zu Beteigeuze mit physikalischen Daten und Supernova-Prognose.
Related Cards
Provenance
Status
seed
Review
none
Last Updated
2026-02-17