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So apparently a lot of astrophysicists on my Twitter are talking about Betelgeuse doing some weird stuff that may be an indication of an impending supernova.

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Dr David Boyce

@DrDavidBoyce

Dec 20, 2019

Is #betelgeuse about to go supernova? It has suddenly and rapidly decreased in brightness by a factor of 2 - noticeable to the naked eye.

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12:00 AM · Dec 23, 2019Twitter Web App

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this reply says it's probably not :(

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Enrique Boeneker

@HeinoBoeneker

Dec 21, 2019

Replying to @DrDavidBoyce

Betelgeuse is a very well known variable star since the XIX century (ref. AAVSO). It has an irregular period of about 400 to 2000 days in which it changes magnitude from 0 to 1.4. So, that is dimmer now doesn’t imply it is going supernova.

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I'm seeing discussion both ways. The rate of dimming over the past 90 days is something, though.

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A lot of the time the stuff that wasn't suppose to happen, happens in a spectacular way and without any warning.