The Great Collapsing Hrung Disaster of Gal./Sid./Year 03758 which wiped out all the old Praxibetel communities on Betelgeuse VII is shrouded in deep mystery; in fact, no one ever knew what a Hrung was nor why it had chosen to collapse on Betelgeuse VII particularly.
Ford Prefect's father/uncle was the only man on the entire planet to survive the Great Collapsing Hrung disaster, by an extraordinary coincidence that he was never able satisfactorily to explain, a lack which led to considerable social embarrassment. Ford's Betelgeusian nickname, Ix, was based on this fact.
Notes[]
- In the real universe, sudden dimming of Betelgeuse began to be noticed in early 2020. Nobody is sure what is causing this stellar fainting, although there is a chance it could be a sign of an imminent explosion. Analysis suggests that it is possible that Betelgeuse could explode any time between "now and 100,000 years from now"[1]. Since Betelgeuse is roughly 700 light years from Earth, this would date the Great Collapsing Hrung Disaster to anytime from the 14th to 23rd century CE.
References[]
- ↑ Chelsea Gohd (3 January 2020). "Will Bright Star Betelgeuse Finally Explode? A Look at the Dimming Red Giant in Orion's Shoulder"