Thinking Betelgeuse

Betelgeuse is a lumpy clump of boiling gas.
(Image credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/E. O’Gorman/P. Kervella)

 Betelgeuse is getting ready to blow and scientists and yours truly can't wait to see it happen.

Orion constellation map

When Betelgeuse explodes in a supernova, it will shine as bright as the full moon in our sky.

Located some 650 light-years from Earth, Betelgeuse, also known as Alpha Orionis, usually ranks as the tenth brightest star in the night sky. The star, however, is known for its periodic dimming and brightening up, which sometimes makes it climb a bit up or down the ranking.

Astronomers think that Betelgeuse is only 10 million years old, that's 50 times younger than our sun. Despite its relatively young age, Betelgeuse has already run out of the hydrogen fuel in its core and is now in the final, red giant stage of its life, fusing helium to carbon. 

The reason for Betelgeuse's fast-paced life is the fact that it was likely born very massive. According to ScienceAlert, Betelgeuse used to be a blue-white O-type star, the most massive kind of main sequence, hydrogen-burning star. The bigger the star, the brighter it shines and the hotter it burns. But also the faster it runs out of its hydrogen and the sooner it turns into a red giant. 

In its prime, Betelgeuse must have been tens of times more massive than our sun and tens to hundreds of times more luminous. Temperatures on its surface may have reached up to a mind-boggling 89,500 degrees Fahrenheit (50,000 degrees Celsius), compared to the sun's "lukewarm" 10,000 degrees F (5,500 degrees C).

Which means, like octopuses, Betelgeuse's life time is short but intense and now it's time is nearly up,
which relates indirectly to this ...

The fragility of  SpaceX' products stagger the imagination. Rockets are "controlled" exploding bombs, extremely fragile, prone to blowing up and very touchy to maintain. The variables regarding the Starship and it's booster, with it's 32 engines, gives one pause to the max. This is akin to data centers and silicon as pushing electrons through chips and networks generate intense heat and requires both extreme power and cooling to keep the tech running and we haven't even discussed the problems of maintenance and replacement of hardware to keep said appliances online to service the needs of hundreds of millions of customers 24/7.

Compare both to the Space Elevator and Microtubuels to see why both of theses enterprises are, IMHO, but a short term solution, something the bond boys are beginning to realize with great trepidation.