At this point, it’s a matter of fact that Betelgeuse, a red supergiant star, is on the verge of a cataclysmic event. This is evident from the recorded periodic fluctuations in the star’s brightness, a typical behavior for a star of its nature.

Though Betelgeuse, the 10th brightest star in the night sky, is destined to undergo a cataclysmic explosion visible from Earth, this is not its most intriguing feature. Recent findings have highlighted an even more astonishing fact: Betelgeuse is rotating at an incredible speed of 18,000 kilometers per hour, or about 5 kilometers per second.

This is ten times the speed at which we travel on Earth’s surface, an extraordinary rate for such a massive supergiant star, seemingly defying the laws of physics.

Yes, Betelgeuse will eventually explode, but it’s worth finding out what is behind this baffling rotation rate. Today we dive into the unusual surface of Betelgeuse and unravel the secrets behind its seemingly impossible rotational speed. So, What Is It About Betelgeuse’s Rotational Speed That Scientists Find Strange?

Let’s begin with the basics: there are several methods to measure the rotation of celestial objects in the night sky. If the object is sufficiently large, such as the Sun, the Moon, or even a planet in our solar system, it’s simple enough to aim a telescope at it and observe its features shifting in real-time. What Are The Notable Theories and Explanations For This? It’s possible that Betelgeuse’s rotation is the result of a process called “stellar cannibalism.”

This happens when one star’s gravity pulls away the gas from its companion star, which is usually in a binary orbit with it. The gas being pulled away carries most of the companion star’s angular momentum. As a result, the first star grows not only in size but also in speed, spinning faster than it would naturally.

But is this really the story of how Betelgeuse got its spin, or is there something even more mysterious happening beneath the surface?