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Betelgeuse
Galactography > Regions of Space > Middle Regions/Hinter-regions
Galactography > Systems and Worlds > Systems & Worlds A - B
Galactography > Systems and Worlds > Systems & Worlds A - B
Betelgeuse |
 Image from Steve Bowers |
First Reached in 3621 AT
Stellar Data (status when first reached, before modification)
Spectral type M1—M2 Ia—a
Mass 11.2 x Sol
Radius 617 million km (highly irregular in form)
Luminosity 90,000—150,000 x Sol (very variable)
Distance from Sol 662 ly (epoch 2000)
RA 05h 55m 10.3
Dec +07° 24′ 25.4
Alpha Orionis, 58 Orionis, the capital of the Betelgeuse volume.
A reddish supergiant star rimward of Sol, it is over a billion kilometers in diameter. Prior to stabilization it was a variable star, varying in magnitude from 0.3 to 1.2 over a period of about 7 years, averaging about 0.70. The surface is extremely variable in luminosity and structure, changing slowly but dramatically over time. The core of this star has concentric layers of different elements each of which are themselves fusing. Without artificial intervention, the core of this star will fuse to iron and collapse, creating a supernova explosion.
Betelgeuse was partially stabilized by SunMiners during the Integration period. At first very large amounts of material were removed from the outer envelope, reducing the pressure on the core, and slowing down the rate of fusion somewhat; however this will only prolong the life of the star by a few tens of thousands of years.
More recently, transapienttech matter conversion has been used to cause artificial fusion in the core regions, which prevents the star from collapsing. Although the details are not known, it may be possible for the archai to stabilise this star for the foreseeable future by continually producing enough energy to prevent collapse - in short by producing a continual, slow, controlled explosion using conversion weapons.
This vast and luminous but very cool and diffuse star is surrounded by a number of sunminer habitats and several highly specialised ai clades. Sunminers and other stellar engineering clades have been offering rejuvenation / stabilisation projects for centuries. But now everybody plans to buy Emple-Dokcetic shields instead, when they become available. The whole volume is now becoming heavily Empledokcetised (either as insurance in case the sunminer ultratech devices suffer catastrophic collapse, or maybe just aesthetic or cultural reasons) - more worries for the neighbouring empires.
Related Articles
- Betelgeuse Umma - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
A Consolidation Age offshoot of the Umma Shell that settled in the solward Betelgeuse volume, the Betelgeuse Ummaites drifted progressively away from the rest of the Shell, becoming unrecognisable as Umma (apart from a few cultural and religious quirks) by the middle Integration period. Currently they are one of several dozen primary cultures that make up the volume. - Betelgeuse Volume
- Betelgeuse-brain
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Development Notes
Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Initially published on 08 October 2001.
Initially published on 08 October 2001.
