[vsnet-alert 23869] Betelgeuse still dimming

[P. Clay Sherrod]

I am sure that all of us are keeping up with the dimming of Betelgeuse; last 
evening (Jan. 19 @ 2:00 UT) the star is as dim as I have ever seen it; on the 
previous time I was able to assess (Jan. 11), it was around magnitude 1.5-1.6; 
on Jan. 19 I assigned a visual magnitude of +1.9, using the stars Alnitak (1.9) 
and Bellatrix (1.7). Betelgeuse appears significantly red at this time and I 
warn observers about the well known Perkinje Effect, whereas staring at a 
reddish star for a prolonged period will result in its appearing brighter than 
it actually is, something that I noticed last evening.

Dr. Clay
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Arkansas Sky Observatories
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