Star · Orange-red · Orion

Betelgeuse

58 Ori · HIP 27989

Above the horizon after darkHighest after dark 05:17 · south · 45°

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Where is Betelgeuse?

Times for LondonChange city

Look south, about 45° up at 05:17 in Orion. It rises at 23:17 and climbs through the night.

Rises: 23:17
Highest: 05:57
Sets: 12:41
Best after dark: 05:17 · 45°

Can I see Betelgeuse tonight?

From London tonight, Betelgeuse is above the horizon after dark. It’s highest just before dawn, around 05:17, in the south at 45°.

At magnitude 0.5 it is one of the brighter points in the sky, easy to see by eye when it’s clear.

This is position and timing only: clouds, haze and light pollution aren’t included.

What does Betelgeuse look like?

Betelgeuse looks orange-red to the eye. Its spectral type is M1-M2Ia-Iab: cool red supergiant (much cooler than the Sun).

Eyes

A bright, distinctly orange-red star at Orion’s upper left (for northern observers). Compare it with blue-white Rigel.

Binoculars

The color contrast with nearby stars is striking.

Telescope

A bright orange point. No telescope on Earth’s surface shows it as more than a point without special techniques.

What you’re likely to see, not what a space telescope photographs.

About Betelgeuse

Betelgeuse marks Orion’s shoulder and is one of the best-known stars in the sky. It is a red supergiant: if it replaced the Sun, its surface would extend well past the orbit of Mars, toward Jupiter.

It is near the end of its life and varies in brightness as it pulses. In late 2019 and early 2020 it dimmed dramatically in what became known as the Great Dimming. Astronomers later traced this to a cloud of dust that the star had thrown off.

One day Betelgeuse will explode as a supernova, but that could be anytime in the next 100,000 years. When it happens, it will be bright enough to see in daylight for a while, and it is far enough away to pose no danger to Earth.

Betelgeuse varies in brightness over a cycle of roughly 400 days, with a longer cycle of about 2,100 days on top. It is one of the few stars whose surface has been resolved in images from large telescopes.

Betelgeuse in Orion

Questions

Will Betelgeuse explode soon?

On astronomical timescales, yes; on human timescales, probably not. It could be anytime in the next 100,000 years.

Would a Betelgeuse supernova be dangerous?

No. It is hundreds of light-years away, too far to harm Earth.

Why did Betelgeuse dim in 2019–2020?

It ejected a cloud of material that cooled into dust and briefly blocked part of its light.

Its constellationOrion Another starSirius Another starCanopus 6° awayMeissa 8° awayBellatrix GuideStargazing for beginners

Sources: SkyMate; Wikidata (CC0). Positions computed for your place and time with astronomy-engine. Data & Licences