Star called Betelgeuse dims; some suggest supernova ahead

(WISH) — Scientists are puzzled by the behavior of what used to be one of the brightest stars in the skies.

The red giant star called Betelgeuse has been rapidly dimming since October. The star used to be the ninth-brightest object people could see from Earth, but Betelgeuse is now more than two times fainter than usual.

Scientists believe that could be a prelude to its explosion turning the star into a supernova, but it’s anyone’s guess when that could happen. Some scientists believe that explosion could be more than 200,000 years away. If that happens, Earth will get a spectacular show in the sky, but the explosion will not pose any danger to life on earth.

Other scientists believe the dimming is just a phase, and no supernova is in the making.

CNN Newsource contributed to this report.