Might there soon be a supernova near Earth?

THE GREAT Collapsing Hrung Disaster of the Year 03758 is shrouded in mystery. All that is known about this event, mentioned in a footnote to "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", by Douglas Adams, is that the only survivor was the father of one of the story's main characters, Ford Prefect--and that it took place on one of the planets orbiting Betelgeuse. Betelgeuse is a red supergiant star in Orion, a prominent constellation that spans the celestial equator. It is one of the brightest objects ...