Betelgeuse is a gigantic, enigmatic star. Prominent in the constellation Orion, this red-orange giant lies 643 light-years from Earth and is one of the largest stars in our galaxy – you could line up 1142 suns across its diameter. As one of the brightest stars in the sky, it is prominent in the traditions of cultures across the globe, especially across Australia. Traditional stories describe the importance of the star’s position, brightness, and colour, as well as changes in these properties.
In Wardaman Aboriginal traditions of the Northern Territory, Yidumduma Bill Harney describes the star as Ya-Jungin, the flickering eye of an owl, which is apparent when the star twinkles. In Aboriginal communities across the Great Victoria Desert, South Australia, it is the right hand of the man in Orion (who is upside down), which has special significance, as we will soon discover.
On the night of 11 December 2023, patient observers along a thin pathway stretching from Central Asia to Mexico witnessed something truly spectacular: Betelgeuse – the 11th-brightest star in the sky –
