Why the world is waiting for Betelgeuse to go supernova

"My love for you is as eternal as the sun" might be a heartfelt line in a love letter written by a young man to his beloved. As poetic as the sentiment might be, it doesn't mean quite what the young swain intended, for the sun, like all stars, was born and now lives in vibrant middle age, but it is destined to die one day. While that inevitable moment is billions of years in the sun's future, a nearby star may be facing a more imminent demise.