iotw2319 — Image of the Week
Stellar Red Giant Above KPNO
10 May 2023: The dynamic coloring of the night sky at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab, makes for a beautiful backdrop behind the UArizona Bok 2.3-meter Telescope. Distant city lights, cars, airglow, and the arc of the Milky Way all add to the variety of colors. Zodiacal light emanating from the horizon intersects with the Milky Way on the right hand side of the image. One orange star at the center of this image stands out amongst the rest. This is the red supergiant Betelgeuse, a star that marks a ‘shoulder’ of the hunter constellation, Orion. Being a relatively old star, Betelgeuse glows a cool red compared to its hot, bright blue neighbors. Despite this, it is usually the 10th brightest star in the night sky. More compellingly, Betelgeuse is massive — so massive that its diameter is more than 750 times that as the Sun. This makes …