| The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07. |
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| Betelgeuse |
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(b t´ lj z´´) (KEY) , bright star in the constellation Orion; Bayer designation  Orionis; 1992 position R.A. 5h54.8m, Dec. +7°24´. A red supergiant with a luminosity about 13,000 times that of the sun, it is of spectral class M2 Iab. Betelgeuse is a semiregular variable star with apparent magnitude ranging from 0.06 to 0.75; thus, at maximum brightness it is one of the 10 brightest stars in the sky. Betelgeuse marks the right shoulder of Orion; its distance is about 500 light-years. |
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| | | The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright © 2007 Columbia University Press. |
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