Betelgeuse is normally the 10th brightest star in the sky, but has varied over the past five years to be as high as #7, or as low as #20, faintening and brightening unpredictably.

Along with Antares, it’s one of the two closest red supergiant stars to Earth: a star destined to end its life in a core-collapse supernova.

There hasn’t been a naked-eye supernova within the Milky Way since 1604, and the next one will be not only a scientist’s dream come true, but a delight for billions across the globe.