Betelgeuse vs Sirius

Property Betelgeuse Sirius
Designation 58Alp Ori 9Alp CMa
Constellation Orion Canis Major
Spectral Class Class M — M-type (Red) Class A — A-type (White)
Apparent Magnitude +0.45 -1.44
Absolute Magnitude -5.47 1.45
Distance 498 ly 8.6 ly
Mass N/A N/A
Radius N/A N/A
Temperature N/A N/A
Luminosity N/A N/A

Key Differences

  • Sirius is an A-type main-sequence star; Betelgeuse is an M-type red supergiant nearing the end of its life.
  • Betelgeuse has a radius of ~887 R☉ — over 500 times larger than Sirius at 1.71 R☉.
  • Sirius is only 8.6 light-years away; Betelgeuse is about 700 light-years distant.
  • Betelgeuse is luminosity-dominant at ~126,000 L☉ versus Sirius at 25.4 L☉.
  • Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky; Betelgeuse is a famous supernova candidate.

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