In early 2020, just months before the COVID-19 pandemic really started, Earth was focused on a supergiant star known as Betelgeuse, 700 light-years away. One day, the huge star suddenly dimmed and became 10 times fainter than normal. Some suggested that it was a harbinger of an explosion, but rumors of the star’s death were considered highly exaggerated. The star lit up again just a few months later.
Several teams have tried to explain what caused this event, which they call the “Great Blackout,” and one team analyzed hundreds of images of the star, claiming that stardust was probably blocking our view from Earth. In June 2021, they suggested that Betelgeuse most likely spewed gas, which then cooled, condensed, and darkened the star. Another group claimed that the star is cooling slightly, and that this variability may cause a decrease in brightness.
In a new study published in the journal Nature, three astronomers announced a surprising discovery: They detected Betelgeuse in the background of images taken by the Japanese weather satellite Himawari-8. This photo confirms some of the earlier work that revealed the origins of the Great Blackout.
Himawari-8, as the name suggests, is the eighth version of the Himawari satellite operated by Japan’s Meteorological Agency. It operates in a stable orbit, 35,577 kilometers above the equator. That is, it is located 90 times further from the International Space Station. Here, he takes a picture of the Earth every 10 minutes and contributes to weather forecasts in Asia and the Pacific. While examining images taken by the satellite in 2017, researchers noticed Betelgeuse just behind the planet.
Analysis of this image resulted in a result consistent with previous estimates. Betelgeuse was dimmed by a normal drop in both the gas and the light it emitted. Although the result is not exciting, it is important because it tells us exactly what the science process is.
The fact that a weather satellite took this image is interesting in itself. Space telescopes are very expensive to build and send into space. However, it appears that some Earth-orbiting satellites are capable of doing what a space telescope can do.
The same Himawari-8 satellite recently captured a volcanic eruption in Tongo and made headlines.
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