If there ’s one configuration that even the most uninterested lotus-eater can identify it’sOrion , famous for his three - starred smash . Yet something is definitely up with the cosmic hunter as one of his most iconic stars has been dimming , leading to conjecture that it could be about to go supernova . Betelgeuseis also known as Alpha Orionis , mean that it is the brightest star in the configuration of Orion . Located some 700 clear - years from Earth , it is one of the most luminous stars in the entire Nox sky , burning with an orange - crimson color . Yet earlier this calendar month , astronomers mark that its brightness had dropped , designate that it may have gain the remainder of its atomic number 1 supplying . violent giantslike Betelgeuse typically take around 10 million years to burn up all their H , so the noted star was always expected to kick the bucket young . Betelgeuse is bear to pop off in aType II supernovasometime in the next 100,000 year , although exactly when that will happen is anyone ’s supposition . Having dimmed by around one-half over the past few hebdomad , dropping from its common magnitude of +0.5 to a much duller +1.5 , Betelgeuse has got astronomers excited with the prospect of see an imminent star death . Should this take place , it would mark the first time that a star within the milklike Way galaxy has gone supernova in around 400 years , providing the first opportunity for scientists to study such an case up near . It would also provide a hell of a spectacle for the remainder of us , being easily visible with the naked eye . Yet this cosmic swooning show is far from guaranteed , as a drop in smartness ca n’t be taken as a sure signal that the hotshot is about to die . As a varying whiz , Betelgeuse is prone to periodic alterations in its visible luminosity , so changes like this are not that out of the average . Such changes can be triggered by eruptions of flatulence or dust , as well as an raiment of other processes that impact the star ’s surface brightness but have nothing to do with its inner atomic number 1 supply . in the end , we just do n’t know if these late observations intend that Betelgeuse is about to go supernova , although with the latest readings showing that the star has become dimmer than at any point in its recorded chronicle , there ’s a prospect that something outstanding is about to go down .