h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I've been given the job of Subediting your entry on Betelguese for Tango's project on Stars.

I was hoping that you were still around and would be able to provide a bit more information? I'll probably strip out the stuff about the constellation since there's already an Edited Entry on the topic at http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A395165

Perhaps you could talk a bit more about how big it is (putting it in the Sun's place in the Solar System or something). And how about a pronunciation guide?

This is one people always seem to butcher.

Cheers!

- Jimi X

btw: Your content is good, I was just hoping you had a bit more...

Yeah... Alright...
I'll see what I can do...

Wait! How do I do that! I can't edit the entry any more... Do I have to create a new version? How do you get hold of it then?

You can either send me a revised text via email at jimi_x_h2g2 at yahoo dot com

OR

you can simply type it in this forum or in a forum attatched to the entry.

You don't need to worry about formatting in GuideML - I can handle that. I just figured it needed a bit more meat.

Hope that makes sense!

- X

Fine...

Here's the revised Betelgeuse entry:

BETELGEUSE

After Alpha Centauri, Sirius and the Pole Star, Betelgeuse [BET-el-jooz] is probably the most well-known star in the sky. It lies at a distance of 425 light years, in what we perceive to be the constellation of Orion. Betelgeuse marks the hunter's right-hand shoulder, its name being derived from the Arabic 'ibt al Jauzah' meaning 'The Armpit of the Central One'.

Betelgeuse is a red giant, a highly evolved star whose central hydrogen fuel has now run out. As the core cooled, the star's outer layers spread out, cooling to surface temperature to 3000K, half that of the Sun.

Betelgeuse has a diameter 640 times that of the Sun, and contains 20 times as much mass. If the Sun and Betelgeuse were interchanged, Betelgeuse's outer surface would extend out past the asteroid belt. Due to its large size, Betelgeuse has become the first star to be directly imagtes by a telescope, the Hubble Space Telescope, in 1996.

Betelgeuse has a magnitude of around 0.4. Although fainter than Rigel (Orion's left foot), it has been given the designation of alpha-Orionis [footnote: Which would otherwise denote it as the brightest star in that constellation]. It is, however, an irregular variable (with no specific time period) and its brightness can drop to magnitude 0.6, suffering a variation in diameter of up to 60%.

At present, Betelgeuse is probably undergoing fission of Helium into Carbon and Oxygen. There is uncertainty surrounding the star's eventual fate, which depends on its exact stellar mass. If high enough, it will continue to produce heavier elements until it reaches Iron, when it will collapse and subsequently explode in a supernova, leaving behind a dense neutron star. If Betelgeuse is slightly lighter, then it may simply collapse to form a white dwarf.

Betelgeuse lies at Dec +07d 24m 26s, RA 05h 55m 10.2s (epoch 2000). It is formally classified by the following designations: HIP 27989 (Hipparcos Identifier), SAO 113271 (Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory compendium number), HR 2061 (Harvard Revised number).

I also have a link to a page with the HST Betelgeuse image...
I can't put it here, can I? However, you can easily find it by searching for "betelgeuse HST" at yahoo, and clicking on "Direct Image of Betelgeuse"

Erm...

Terribly sorry! Don't know how I missed this one.

I'll upload it to my tester page Friday or Monday at the latest for you to take a look at.


- X

Thanks.

I've added a 'few' links and a version approaching final can be found at http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A530074