The star's designation is α Orionis (Latinised to Alpha Orionis), given by Johann Bayer in 1603.
The traditional name Betelgeuse was derived from the Arabic يد الجوزاء Yad al-Jawzā’ "th… See more

Betelgeuse and its red coloration have been noted since antiquity; the classical astronomer Ptolemy described its color as ὑπόκιρρος (hypókirrhos = more or less orange-tawny), a term later described by a translator of … See more

As a result of its distinctive orange-red color and position within Orion, Betelgeuse is easy to find with the naked eye. It is one of three stars that make up the Winter Triangle asterism, and it marks the center of the Winter Hex… See more

Betelgeuse is a very large, luminous but cool star classified as an M1-2 Ia-ab red supergiant. The letter "M" in this designation means that it is a red star belonging to the M spectral class and therefore h… See more

Betelgeuse is a red supergiant that has evolved from an O-type main-sequence star. After core hydrogen exhaustion, Betelgeuse evolved into a blue supergiant before evolving into its current red supergiant … See more