Betelgeuse

Betelgeuse is a red supergiant (spectral type M1Ia) about 550 light-years away. With an apparent magnitude of 0.45 it is one of the brightest stars in the whole sky.

A red supergiant, roughly 750 times the size of the Sun. It will eventually explode as a supernova.

Its light output is roughly 16,100 times that of the Sun (a rough estimate in visible light, calculated from brightness and distance).

From Germany (52° N) it rises and sets; it is best seen in the evening in December.