Famous star is smaller and much closer than we thought, scientists say

Betelgeuse, one of the best-known stars in our sky, is actually much closer and smaller than we’d realised, astronomers have said.

The star is well-known for being one of the brightest in the night sky. It also drew attention earlier this year for becoming less bright than usual, amid speculation that it could be on the edge of exploding into a supernova – though in the end it did not.

In fact, it might be another 100,000 years until it dies in an explosion, according to a new study. The research suggests that the star is actually much further from its end than many had thought.

"It's normally one of the brightest stars in the sky, but we've observed two drops in the brightness of Betelgeuse since late 2019," said Meredith Joyce from the Australian National University, who led the study.