How large can a single convective feature on Betelgeuse be compared to a major solar system boundary?
Answer
Larger than the entire orbit of Jupiter
The sheer scale of convection on Betelgeuse far surpasses that observed on our Sun. While a granule on the Sun might span hundreds of miles, the convective features resolved on Betelgeuse—which is predicted to be millions of times the volume of the Sun—are gargantuan. These immense, rising bubbles of gas are so large that a single one can extend beyond the orbital distance of Jupiter. This vast scale difference illustrates that the churning, boiling reality of a red supergiant's surface involves physical structures that dwarf the planetary arrangements of our own solar neighborhood.
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