It is the ninth brightest star in our firmament, located in the Orion constellation. It has a huge size. If it were in our solar system, the star would extend almost to the orbit of Jupiter. Although the star is only about 8 million years old, it is currently in the last phase of its evolutionary state. Astronomers predict that Betelgeuse will soon explode into a Type II supernova that will leave a neutron star as a remnant. However other studies suggest that its mass is not large enough to explode in supernova and therefore will leave as a remnant a rare white dwarf oxygen and neon.
TYPE OF STAR: Red Supergiant
SPECTRAL CLASS: M
DISTANCE TO THE EARTH: 642 light years (Orion Constellation)
SUPERFICIAL TEMPERATURE: 3500 K (Our sun 5700k)
SOLAR MASS: 20 times the mass of the Sun
SIZE: About 1200 times the radius of the Sun
