The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) and Virgo detectors recorded a “burst” of gravitational waves this week, from an area of sky near the red supergiant Betelgeuse. This unanticipated burst has been dubbed, for now, S200114f. It’s prompting some interesting chatter on Twitter because Betelgeuse has undergone an unusual dimming in recent weeks, and some astronomy enthusiasts have wondered if it were about to explode. Betelgeuse has not exploded. It’s still there. Still, a supernova explosion of Betelgeuse might be linked with a gravitational wave burst. As Jackson Ryan explained on CNET last night (January 14, 2020):

The gravitational waves we’ve detected so far usually relate to extreme cosmic events, like two black holes colliding or neutron stars finally merging after being caught in a death spiral. Burst gravitational waves have not been detected before and scientists hypothesize they may be linked to phenomena such as supernova or gamma ray bursts, producing a tiny ‘pop’ when detected by the observatories.

Astronomer Andy Howell at Las Cumbres Observatory leads a group that studies supernovae and dark energy. He posted some especially informative tweets about Betelgeuse last night.

TFW you walk outside to check if Betelgeuse is still there (I just did, it is). https://t.co/uJuUMBJsSe — Andy Howell (@d_a_howell) January 14, 2020

It isn't Betelgeuse blowing up because:

– It is outside the GW localization region.

– The burst might not even be real.

– The burst was probably too short.

– No neutrinos were detected

– Betelgeuse's dimming is well explained.

Me walking outside to check = buying a lottery ticket — Andy Howell (@d_a_howell) January 14, 2020

As Andy said in one of the tweets above, gravitational wave detectors do sometimes detect false positives, about once every 25 years. So that is something to keep in mind.

The most important thing to keep in mind is that Betelgeuse has not exploded. Estimates suggest it won’t explode in our lifetimes … probably.

What’s so great here is the way that astronomers – some of Earth’s most curious people – have reacted, turning their attention and their telescopes toward Betelgeuse and toward the region of the sky from which the gravitational waves apparently originated. What is going on? The verdict isn’t in yet. Probably nothing. Still, many on Twitter last night spoke of going outside to look at Betelgeuse. Their enthusiasm and excitement are contagious!

Alright I *know* it's nothing, but LIGO just detected a gravitational wave burst from a region of sky near Betelgeuse. *Tying shoes to go outside*: guys I know it's nothing. *grabbing binoculars*: guys it's nothing *throwing on a sweatshirt for an all-nighter*: it's nothing — Alex Martin?? (@SidewalkSciGuy) January 15, 2020

EarthSky 2020 lunar calendars are available! Nearly out. Order now!

Bottom line: The LIGO and Virgo detectors this week recorded a “burst” of gravitational waves, from an area of sky near the red supergiant Betelgeuse, which has recently undergone a mysterious dimming. Hmmmmmm.

Read more about the recent dimming of the star Betelgeuse