<P> Classified as a red supergiant of spectral type M1 - 2 , the star is one of the largest and most luminous stars visible to the naked eye . If Betelgeuse were at the center of the Solar System , its surface would extend past the asteroid belt , wholly engulfing the orbits of Mercury , Venus , Earth , Mars , and possibly Jupiter . Calculations of its mass range from slightly under ten to a little over twenty times that of the Sun . It is calculated to be 640 light - years away , yielding an absolute magnitude of about − 6 . Less than 10 million years old , Betelgeuse has evolved rapidly because of its high mass . Having been ejected from its birthplace in the Orion OB1 Association -- which includes the stars in Orion 's Belt -- this runaway star has been observed moving through the interstellar medium at a speed of 30 km / s , creating a bow shock over 4 light - years wide . Currently in a late stage of stellar evolution , the supergiant is expected to explode as a supernova within the next million years . </P>
<P> Classified as a red supergiant of spectral type M1 - 2 , the star is one of the largest and most luminous stars visible to the naked eye . If Betelgeuse were at the center of the Solar System , its surface would extend past the asteroid belt , wholly engulfing the orbits of Mercury , Venus , Earth , Mars , and possibly Jupiter . Calculations of its mass range from slightly under ten to a little over twenty times that of the Sun . It is calculated to be 640 light - years away , yielding an absolute magnitude of about − 6 . Less than 10 million years old , Betelgeuse has evolved rapidly because of its high mass . Having been ejected from its birthplace in the Orion OB1 Association -- which includes the stars in Orion 's Belt -- this runaway star has been observed moving through the interstellar medium at a speed of 30 km / s , creating a bow shock over 4 light - years wide . Currently in a late stage of stellar evolution , the supergiant is expected to explode as a supernova within the next million years . </P>
to which group does the star betelgeuse belong
to which group does the star betelgeuse belong
red supergiant of spectral type M1 - 2
red supergiant of spectral type M1 - 2