A supernova is part of the ecology of the universe. It is destructive - but it is also creative. Whatever planets are in the star's orbit are destroyed. It could even destroy life on planets of nearby stars.
Betelgeuse, as star in Orion, is 600 or so light years away. This is a very old star, and should be about out of fuel, which eventually leads to its core becoming iron - causing the star to explode. It would be visible on earth. It would brighten for 2 or 3 weeks, reaching a magnitude of -12, meaning it would outshine the moon and be visible in broad daylight (as long as it is at the time of year when Orion is in the daylight sky).
Because the axis of the star is not pointed toward earth, the gamma ray outburst would not impair life on earth.
This supernova is predicted to brighten as much as 20% of the brightness of the entire M65 galaxy. Beings living in the M65 galaxy probably enjoyed the spectacular view. Or rather, they did 35 million years ago (M65 is 35 million light years from earth).
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