Rigel is expected to eventually end its stellar life as a type II supernova. It is one of the closest known potential supernova progenitors to Earth, and would be expected to have a maximum apparent magnitude of around −11 (about the same brightness as a quarter Moon or around 300 times brighter than Venus ever gets.)

Is Rigel about to explode?

Rigel will explode as a supernova in the far future. This explosion will make Rigel the second-brightest object in the night sky for several weeks.

What star will go supernova next?

Betelgeuse is a red supergiant — a type of star that's more massive and thousands of times shorter-lived than the Sun — and it is expected to end its life in a spectacular supernova explosion sometime in the next 100,000 years.