Betelgeuse in fiction

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The planetary systems of stars other than the Sun, such as Betelgeuse, are a staple element in much science fiction.

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The star Betelgeuse

Betelgeuse (Alpha Orionis) is a bright red star in the constellation Orion frequently featured in works of science fiction. A red supergiant, Betelgeuse is one of the largest and most luminous stars known. If it were at the center of our Solar System its surface would extend past the asteroid belt, possibly to the orbit of Jupiter or even beyond, wholly engulfing Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. Classified as an M-type supergiant star, and located around 640 light-years from Earth, Betelgeuse shares with the much closer but smaller star Altair (and with R Doradus) the distinction that its image has been resolved by astronomers (see graphic [1] ).

In another false-color image obtained by infrared interferometry [2] two large, bright star spots spanning ~10 milliarcseconds are visible on the surface of Betelgeuse, possibly representing enormous convective cells rising from below the supergiant's surface. [3] Because of these, Betelgeuse appears to change shape periodically, with a complex, asymmetric envelope that is the product of a colossal ongoing loss of mass, as huge plumes of gas are continuously expelled from its surface (see "Tony and the Beetles" by Philip K. Dick, below). There is some evidence for the existence of close stellar companions of Betelgeuse, orbiting it within its gaseous envelope (see From a Changeling Star by Jeffrey Carver and the television series Space Battleship Yamato , below).

Astronomers believe that this tremendous star is only 10 million years old, but has evolved rapidly because of its great mass. Currently in a late stage of stellar evolution, it is expected to erupt in a Type II supernova, possibly within the next million years (see From a Changeling Star by Jeffrey Carver, "Transit of Betelgeuse" by Robert R. Chase and Calculating God by Robert J. Sawyer, below).

Betelgeuse is the eighth-brightest star in the night sky and second-brightest star in the constellation of Orion, outshining its neighbour Rigel (Beta Orionis) only rarely. Distinctly reddish-tinted, it is a semiregular variable star whose apparent magnitude oscillates between 0.2 and 1.2, the widest range of any first magnitude star. It marks the upper right vertex of the Winter Triangle and center of the Winter Hexagon. [4] [5]

There is considerable controversy about the Arabic language origin of the name Betelgeuse, with some dozens of possible derivations and spellings proposed and used across history. A theory that is gaining wide acceptance is that of Paul Kunitzsch, Professor of Arabic Studies at the University of Munich, who has proposed that the full name of the "ruddy star" [6] Betelgeuse is a corruption of the Arabic (يد الجوزاء yad al-jauzā' ) meaning the hand of the al-jauzā, where al-jauzā is the Central One, or Orion. [7] Since, prior to the scientific revolution, the study of astronomy was intimately connected with mythology and astrology, the ruddy star—like the red planet Mars—was for millennia closely associated with the archetypes of iron and war, and by extension the motifs of death and rebirth. [6] In South African mythology, Betelgeuse was a deadly lion stalking three zebras represented by the stars in Orion's belt in the age-old drama of predation and nourishment. [8] Betelgeuse has also appeared variously in the folklore of cultures including ancient Persia, India, China, and Japan.

Uses of Betelgeuse

Although popular as specific location used in fiction (literal), Betelgeuse is also referred to in fictional works for its metaphorical (meta) and mythological (myth) associations as a prominent cultural referent for centuries, if not millennia, of human history.

The globular cluster M13 (also known as the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules). In the Perry Rhodan series it is the location of Arkon, the homeworld of the declining civilization of the Arkonides and the heart of the Great Imperium. ESA/Hubble and NASA. Heart of M13 Hercules Globular Cluster.jpg
The globular cluster M13 (also known as the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules). In the Perry Rhodan series it is the location of Arkon, the homeworld of the declining civilization of the Arkonides and the heart of the Great Imperium. ESA/Hubble and NASA.

Literature

See also

Betelgeuse is referred to as a location in space or the center of a planetary system unusually often in fiction. For a list containing many stars and planetary systems that have a less extensive list of references, see Stars and planetary systems in fiction.

Notes and references

Notes

  1. ↑ In the 1968 film version (having the same name as the novel, Planet of the Apes ), Commander George Taylor (Charlton Heston) states, "We're some 320 light years from Earth on an unnamed planet in orbit around a star in the constellation of Orion." In the novel Planet of the Apes that star is Betelgeuse. The distance declared by Heston in the film accords well with the value stated for Betelgeuse early in the novel—"about three hundred light years distant from our planet" (notwithstanding that the current best value for the distance to Betelgeuse is at least 500 ly from the Earth [16] ). It is also true that no other major star in Orion is anywhere near 320 light years away. In spite of this narrowing of the field of candidates, circumstantial evidence weighs against the film's destination sun being identified as Betelgeuse: rather than looming crimson in the sky as a red supergiant, it appears indistinguishable from the Sun of our own planet—where in fact the film was made.

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Ara (constellation) Constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere

Ara is a southern constellation between Scorpius, Telescopium, Triangulum Australe, and Norma. It was one of the Greek bulk described by the 2nd-century astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations designated by the International Astronomical Union.

Canis Major Constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere

Canis Major is a constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere. In the second century, it was included in Ptolemy's 48 constellations, and is counted among the 88 modern constellations. Its name is Latin for "greater dog" in contrast to Canis Minor, the "lesser dog"; both figures are commonly represented as following the constellation of Orion the hunter through the sky. The Milky Way passes through Canis Major and several open clusters lie within its borders, most notably M41.

Lepus (constellation) Constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere

Lepus is a constellation lying just south of the celestial equator. Its name is Latin for hare. It is located below—immediately south—of Orion, and is sometimes represented as a hare being chased by Orion or by Orion's hunting dogs.

Betelgeuse Star in the constellation of Orion

Betelgeuse is usually the tenth-brightest star in the night sky and, after Rigel, the second-brightest in the constellation of Orion. It is a distinctly reddish semiregular variable star whose apparent magnitude, varying between +0.0 and +1.6, has the widest range displayed by any first-magnitude star. At near-infrared wavelengths, Betelgeuse is the brightest star in the night sky. Its Bayer designation is α Orionis, Latinised to Alpha Orionis and abbreviated Alpha Ori or α Ori.

Planets in science fiction are fictional planets that appear in various media of the science fiction genre as story-settings or depicted locations.

Orion (constellation) Constellation straddling the celestial equator

Orion is a prominent constellation located on the celestial equator and visible throughout the world. It is one of the most conspicuous and recognizable constellations in the night sky. It is named after Orion, a hunter in Greek mythology. Its brightest stars are blue-white Rigel and red Betelgeuse.

Saiph Star in the constellation of Orion

Saiph, designation Kappa Orionis and 53 Orionis, is the sixth-brightest star in the constellation of Orion. Of the four bright stars that compose Orion's main quadrangle, it is the star at the south-eastern corner. A northern-hemisphere observer facing south would see it at the lower left of Orion, and a southern-hemisphere observer facing north would see it at the upper right. Parallax measurements yield an estimated distance of 650 light-years from the Sun, which is about the same as Betelgeuse. It is smaller, less luminous but hotter at its surface than Rigel with an apparent visual magnitude of 2.1. The luminosity of this star changes slightly, varying by 0.04 magnitudes.

Red supergiant Stars with a supergiant luminosity class

Red supergiants (RSGs) are stars with a supergiant luminosity class of spectral type K or M. They are the largest stars in the universe in terms of volume, although they are not the most massive or luminous. Betelgeuse and Antares are the brightest and best known red supergiants (RSGs), indeed the only first magnitude red supergiant stars.

Aquila (constellation) Constellation near the celestial equator

Aquila is a constellation on the celestial equator. Its name is Latin for 'eagle' and it represents the bird that carried Zeus/Jupiter's thunderbolts in Greek-Roman mythology.

Bellatrix Star in the constellation Orion

Bellatrix, with Bayer designation γ Orionis, is the third-brightest star in the constellation of Orion, positioned 5° west of the red supergiant Betelgeuse. With a slightly variable magnitude of around 1.6, it is about the 25th-brightest star in the night sky. Located 250 ± 10 light-years away from Earth, it is a blue giant star around 7.7 times as massive as the sun, with 5.75 times its diameter.

Eridanus (constellation) Constellation in the southern hemisphere

Eridanus is a constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere. It is represented as a river. One of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, it remains one of the 88 modern constellations. It is the sixth largest of the modern constellations, and the one that extends farthest in the sky from north to south. The same name was later taken as a Latin name for the real Po River and also for the name of a minor river in Athens.

Outline of astronomy

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to astronomy:

Alpha Centauri in fiction Alpha Centauri star system appearing in fiction

As one of the brightest stars in Earth's night sky, and the closest-known star system to the Sun, the Alpha Centauri system plays an important role in many fictional works of literature, popular culture, television, and film.

Rigel is one of the brightest stars in the sky, usually the brightest star in the constellation Orion. It is frequently mentioned in works of fiction.

Vega in fiction

The planetary systems of stars other than the Sun and its Solar System are a staple element in much science fiction. Vega is a blue-white star in the constellation Lyra that is frequently featured in works of science fiction. Like its bright cousins Sirius, Deneb, and Altair, it is classified as a star of spectral type A. Roughly two and a half times the size of the sun, it is 40 times as luminous and, together with Arcturus and Sirius, one of the most radiant stars in the galactic neighborhood. Its luminosity joins with its relative proximity to the Earth—it is only 25 light-years away—to make it the fifth-brightest star in the night sky. Vega is rendered decidedly oblate by its rapid rate of rotation, and since it is pole-on to the sun, it appears significantly larger to earthbound observers than it actually is. For this and a variety of other reasons Vega has been extensively studied by astronomers, leading it to be termed "arguably the next most important star in the sky after the sun."

Altair is a luminous white star in the constellation Aquila frequently featured in works of science fiction.

Aldebaran in fiction

Aldebaran is a type K5 giant star in the constellation Taurus that is frequently featured in works of science fiction. Aldebaran is a subject for ancient myths in multiple cultures and, in more recent times, the mythologizing of science fiction.

Epsilon Eridani in fiction

The planetary systems of stars other than the Sun and the Solar System are a staple element in much science fiction. Epsilon Eridani is the fifth-brightest star in the riverine southern constellation of Eridanus. An orange star slightly smaller and less massive than the Sun, and relatively close to the Solar System, it is frequently featured in works of science fiction. It is classified as a type K2 star, with the corresponding suggestion that it has a stable habitable zone and is well suited for life. However, one factor which weakens the case for habitability is its youth—it's as little as 200 million years old—and consequent high levels of ultraviolet emission.

Nebulae, often being visually interesting astronomical objects, are frequently used as settings or backdrops for works of science fiction.

Gemini (constellation) Zodiac constellation in the northern hemisphere

Gemini is one of the constellations of the zodiac and is located in the northern celestial hemisphere. It was one of the 48 constellations described by the 2nd century AD astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations today. Its name is Latin for twins, and it is associated with the twins Castor and Pollux in Greek mythology. Its old astronomical symbol is (♊︎).

References

  1. ↑ Gilliland, Ronald L; Dupree, Andrea K (May 1996). "First Image of the Surface of a Star with the Hubble Space Telescope". Astrophysical Journal Letters. 463 (1): L29. Bibcode:1996ApJ...463L..29G. doi: 10.1086/310043 . The yellowish red "image" or "photo" of Betelgeuse usually seen is actually not a picture of the red giant but rather a mathematically generated image based on the photograph. The photograph was actually of much lower resolution: The entire Betelgeuse image fit entirely within a 10x10 pixel area on the Hubble Space Telescope's Faint Object Camera. The actual images were oversampled by a factor of 5 with bicubic spline interpolation, then deconvolved (see Plate L2).
  2. ↑ Haubois, Xavier; et al. (2009). "Imaging the spotty surface of Betelgeuse in the H band". Astronomy and Astrophysics . 508 (2): 923 ff. (fig. 8). arXiv: 0910.4167 . Bibcode:2009A&A...508..923H. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/200912927.
  3. ↑ Nemiroff, R.; Bonnell, J., eds. (6 January 2010). "The Spotty Surface of Betelgeuse". Astronomy Picture of the Day . NASA . Retrieved 2012-01-31.
  4. ↑ "Winter Triangle". The Internet Encyclopedia of Science . Retrieved 2012-01-29.
  5. ↑ "Winter Hexagon". The Internet Encyclopedia of Science . Retrieved 2012-01-29.
  6. 1 2 Allen, Richard Hinckley (1963). Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning (rep  ed.). New York: Dover Publications. pp.  310–12. ISBN   978-0-486-21079-7.
  7. ↑ Kunitzsch, Paul (1959). Arabische Sternnamen in Europa. Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz.
  8. ↑ Littleton, C Scott (2005). Gods, Goddesses, and Mythology. 1. Singapore: Marshall Cavendish. p.  1056. ISBN   978-0-7614-7559-0.
  9. ↑ Schaaf, Fred (2008). "Betelgeuse". The Brightest Stars. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley. pp. 175–176. ISBN   978-0-471-70410-2.
  10. ↑ Carpenter, Richard C (1957). "The Novels of Frederic Prokosch". College English . 18 (5): 261–267. doi:10.2307/372470. JSTOR   372470.
  11. ↑ Dick, Philip K (1991). The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick. 3. New York: Carol Publishing Group. p. 189. ISBN   978-0-8065-1226-6.
  12. ↑ Clute, John; Nicholls, Peter (1993). "Dick, Philip K". The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction . New York: St Martin’s Griffin. p. 328. ISBN   978-0-312-13486-0.
  13. ↑ Beust, Cedric. "Cycle 1 Installments 1–49". The Third Power. Perry Rhodan Cycles. Retrieved 2012-02-01.
  14. ↑ Foyt, John; Taylor, Steve. "From the New Power to Gruelfin". Rhodan English Homepage. Archived from the original on 2012-02-04. Retrieved 2012-02-01.
  15. ↑ Boulle, Pierre (2001). Planet of the Apes. New York: Del Rey Books. p.  10. ISBN   978-0-345-44798-2.
  16. ↑ Harper, Graham M; Brown, Alexander; Guinan, Edward F (April 2008). "A New VLA-Hipparcos Distance to Betelgeuse and its Implications". The Astronomical Journal . 135 (4): 1430–1440. Bibcode:2008AJ....135.1430H. doi: 10.1088/0004-6256/135/4/1430 .
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