Betelgeuse will go supernova:
Betelgeuse is due to go supernova sometime within the next 100'000 years. The intense gravity & extreme pressure will crush its iron core, tearing the Fe atoms apart into a dense soup of protons and electrons. Gravity then forces these electrons and protons to smash together. This final collision converts the original iron core into pure neutrons and releases the massive flood of neutrinos.
The electron capture:
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Finally gravity will crush the star down to a sphere only about 20 kilometers wide, its total surface area is roughly that of a city.The iron will be completely gone, leaving behind a rotating dim neutron star.
As Bright as the Moon
The Betelgeuse supernova will be visible to the naked eye for several months to over a year. Its peak brightness - shining vividly enough to be seen during broad daylight - will last for about two to three months before the explosion gradually fades into a faint glow:
- The explosion will flare up so violently that it will be easily visible in broad daylight for several weeks.
- At night, it will shine roughly as bright as a crescent or half moon, casting noticeable shadows on Earth.
- Later, after Betelgeuse goes supernova it will become a pulsar, a rotating neutron star emitting an energetic beam of radiation ☢️ from its magnetic poles.
