{
  "id": 101567,
  "title": "New Images Provide the Best Evidence Yet That Supergiant Star Betelgeuse Does, Indeed, Have a Long-Theorized Stellar Companion",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/03/new-images-provide-the-best-evidence-yet-that-supergiant-star",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-03T20:07:35.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Smithsonian",
    "slug": "smithsonian",
    "url": "https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-images-provide-the-best-evidence-yet-that-supergiant-star-betelgeuse-does-inded-have-a-long-theorized-stellar-companion-180989225/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "For years, astronomers have pondered whether Betelgeuse, a prominent star in the night sky, has a companion. Now, they believe they have the strongest evidence yet that the star is indeed accompanied by a faint stellar partner. The discovery, published in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics on July 28, could provide crucial insights into the star’s evolution.\n\nThe potential companion star, dubbed Siwarha, was first spotted last year, but its existence remained uncertain. The new research, conducted using the Very Large Telescope in Chile, reveals that Siwarha could be up to 3.1 times the mass of our sun. This is substantially heavier than previously estimated.\n\nLocated about 550 light-years away in the constellation Orion, Betelgeuse is a red supergiant star, 16.5 to 19 times larger than the sun and 100,000 times brighter. With this companion, the star’s behavior, which has puzzled scientists for over a century, suddenly makes more sense. In December 2024, the researchers observed Siwarha at its farthest point from Betelgeuse, providing the clearest view yet.\n\nWhile the discovery is thrilling, the team remains cautious. They need to observe Siwarha in 2027, when its position relative to Betelgeuse changes, to confirm its presence with absolute certainty. But the findings are enough to convince some researchers that the companion is indeed real.",
  "summary": "The research team is mostly convinced by the data, but they want to capture additional observations in 2027 to confirm what they've found",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}