Beetlejuice Star Supernova 2024. If betelgeuse explodes, just how bright will it get? Betelgeuse went dark, but didn’t go supernova.

For six seconds tonight, the constellation orion will appear to lose the vibrant red star at its shoulder—and scientists are thrilled. Astronomers believe the star is now fusing helium into carbon and oxygen, a phase in a star’s life that lasts tens to hundreds of thousands of years and precedes the star’s demise.