[Telepathic Intruder]

Betelgeuse isn't the right type of star to produce a GRB, as far as we know. That happens with Wolf-Rayet or other stripped-core supergiants when they run out of fuel (producing type Ib and Ic supernovae). For a while it was thought that WR 104 was one of these, pointed right at us and ready to explode. But it turns out it's off by 30 or so degrees.



The distance to one of these actually doesn't matter that much. They're deadly as long as you're within the beam.

[JohnBovenmyer]

>Betelgeuse isn’t the right type of star to produce a GRB

Good, one layer of protection via theory. Do we know, as a second layer, the orientation of its poles well enough to say it wouldn’t ‘be pointed at us if the first theory were wrong? That much angular momentum is very unlikely to change its aim.

[JohnBovenmyer]

>Betelgeuse isn’t the right type of star to produce a GRB

Good, one layer of protection via theory. Do we know, as a second layer, the orientation of its poles well enough to say it wouldn’t ‘be pointed at us if the first theory were wrong? That much angular momentum is very unlikely to change its aim.