Epic · One of 40

Betelgeuse

“A dying red supergiant about 640 light-years out whose convulsing surface could collapse into a supernova any millennium now — the court's drama king, and he knows it.”

A Fire world of Court of Fire

4 known connections · an open question

The living story

The story so far

Betelgeuse has been dying loudly for millennia, dimming and brightening like a theater curtain, and the whole court holds its breath every time. He insists the performance is far from over.

Happening now

His surface is convulsing harder than ever, and the Crab Pulsar has started timing his pulses like a countdown. Betelgeuse laughs it off, but the laugh echoes.

What may come

When he finally goes, his supernova will outshine the court for weeks — and some say the Primordial Suns are converging to watch. He would love that.