“I jumped from my chair” – Astronomers spot Betelgeuse’s hidden companion
Astronomers have captured their clearest image yet of Betelgeuse’s long-suspected companion, potentially ending a search that lasted about 100 years. The surprisingly massive hidden star could help explain Betelgeuse’s changing brightness and may influence its future supernova.
Astronomers have finally discovered Betelgeuse, a well-known star in the Orion constellation, has a hidden companion, according to a French-led team. The European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT) captured the clearest image of the suspected star, Betelgeuse B, which orbits the famous red supergiant. Betelgeuse, a red star that has changed in brightness for thousands of years, has been watched by people for centuries.
The possibility of a companion was first suggested a century ago, but no clear detection was made until now. In December 2024, two studies predicted the location of Betelgeuse B, giving astronomers their best opportunity to spot it. Using the SPHERE instrument on the VLT, the researchers directly imaged the companion, providing the strongest evidence yet of its existence.
Betelgeuse B is more massive than initially estimated, with about two to three times the Sun's mass. The discovery could impact our understanding of the star's evolution and its potential supernova explosion.
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