Connect the Dots

Did you know Betelgeuse is dying? The Star that makes up the left shoulder in the Orion constellation has been dimming the last several months, hitting a record low for the red giant. Some say that if the star were to supernova, it would shine as bright as a full moon for over three years! Now this may not happen for another 10,000 years, but if it were to happen tomorrow would you already be gazing up at the night sky observing the stars?

Fascinating with the idea of a “broken constellation”, I made a series of drawings that hang together narrating what kind of magnificent explosion might happen if Betelgeuse were to supernova. Even more intriguing is the identity of a constellation with a missing star. The naming of stars is a humancentric quality that has been applied to a natural history that extends as far back as time. The constellation’s existence depends on our earthly perspective of the night sky, and yet this has become so precious to cultures that stories have been attributed to the astronomical pattern. It is only humans then, that both marvel at the spectacle of a dying star and mourn its loss.