When the Betelgeuse star began to fade rapidly in 2019, many thought that it would soon flare up as a supernova. However, over time, its luminosity recovered, and scientists began to think about the cause of this phenomenon. Now there is a theory that it was caused by a black hole that passed near the star.
It was with her that astronomers tried to explain the dimming of Betelgeuse. They created a computer model of this process, but it showed that from such a passage, the deformation of the star’s atmosphere would be too weak to lead to a 60 percent drop in brightness.
However, scientists have suggested that the black hole could cause other effects on the surface of the giant star. For example, an explosion could occur on it, and together with tidal inflation, this could really cause a grandiose dimming.