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To: sandydipper
How big is a "red giant" star? I believe that if our Sun had Beatlegues' diameter we would be inside the star.

Right.

At its most likely distance of 425 light years, its measured angular diameter yields a radius 630 times that of the Sun, 2.9 astronomical units. If placed at the Sun, the star would go 55% of the way to the orbit of the planet Jupiter. The star is so large that it is the first ever actually directly imaged as a disk from Earth (by the Hubble Space Telescope).
From this website: BETELGEUSE (Alpha Orionis).
12 posted on 03/21/2005 7:24:30 AM PST by PatrickHenry (<-- Click on my name. The List-O-Links for evolution threads is at my freeper homepage.)
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To: PatrickHenry

Betelgeuse was always one of my favorite stars to watch on the 4-8 watch when I was working the Hawaiian waters. When out at sea and miles away from artificial light sources its true magnificence shows. It changes from red to yellow to blue through the spectrum as it “twinkles”, a truly awesome beacon in the sky.


19 posted on 03/21/2005 7:40:31 AM PST by R. Scott (Humanity i love you because when you're hard up you pawn your Intelligence to buy a drink.)
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