Betelgeuse is about 50,000 times as bright as our Sun and its mass is about ten times that of the Sun. On a clear night you should be able to see that it is one of those stars that is not white. It definitely looks reddish.
Betelgeuse is so big that, if it were in the same position as our Sun, it would extend almost out to the orbit of Jupiter . This picture of the planets has been squashed up so we can get them all on the page. But you get the idea - Betelgeuse is big! |