Betelgeuse

American  

[beet-l-jooz, bet-l-jœz] / ˈbit lˌdʒuz, ˈbɛt lˌdʒœz /

Or Betelgeux

noun

Astronomy.

1. a first-magnitude red supergiant in the constellation Orion.

---

Betelgeuse British  

/ ˌbiːtəlˈdʒɜːz, ˈbiːtəlˌdʒɜːz /

noun

1. a very remote luminous red supergiant, Alpha Orionis: the second brightest star in the constellation Orion. It is a variable star

---

Betelgeuse Scientific  

/ bēt′l-jo̅o̅z′ /

1. A red supergiant star in the constellation Orion. It is a variable star with a brightest apparent magnitude of 0.5. Scientific name: Alpha Orionis.

2. See Note at Rigel

---

Etymology

Origin of Betelgeuse

1790–1800; < French < Arabic bīt al jauzāʾ shoulder of the giant (i.e., of Orion)

Example Sentences

Astronomers have long known that Betelgeuse periodically brightens and fades—in fact, records from Aboriginal Australians and ancient Greeks alike suggest this cycle was already clear to various cultures across the planet millennia ago.

From Scientific American

Besides its famous “Belt Stars,” Orion’s most distinguishing feature is the red-tinted star Betelgeuse, which marks one of the Hunter’s “shoulders.”

From Washington Post

In either case, the historical consistency in descriptions of a red Antares bolsters the case for Betelgeuse looking different—and almost certainly less red—thousands of years ago.

From Scientific American

Given that Betelgeuse is the tenth-brightest star in the night sky, citizens of Earth paid attention.

From Salon

Dupree led the earlier study that used Hubble data to link the Great Dimming to Betelgeuse burping out a dust cloud—a conclusion that she notes was initially met with much debate.

From Scientific American