Betelgeuse's Brightening Sparks Supernova Speculation.

Betelgeuse, a nearby red supergiant star, is in its final evolutionary stage and could potentially explode in a type II supernova, reaching a maximum brightness of 10 billion suns and producing millions of detectable neutrinos. However, it is unpredictable when this will occur, and it could happen tomorrow or up to 100,000 years from now. Betelgeuse recently brightened further, currently shining at 142% of its normal brightness, leaving astronomers wondering what is happening in its interior. While Betelgeuse is a potential candidate for the Milky Way's next naked-eye supernova, it cannot be predicted which evolved, massive star in our galaxy will be the next to explode.