🌟 A new image of Betelgeuse's companion star
Astronomers have captured the sharpest image to date of a potential companion star to the red supergiant Betelgeuse. The object, provisionally named Betelgeuse B, was detected using the Very Large Telescope's SPHERE instrument.
Why it matters
Confirming a companion star would help explain the long-observed brightness variations of one of the sky's most famous stars.
An image as proof? Betelgeuse may not be alone.
An international team has obtained the sharpest image to date of a star that appears to orbit the famous red supergiant. This observation provides the strongest clue after nearly a century of research.
Visible to the naked eye in the constellation Orion, Betelgeuse regularly varies in brightness. Astronomers have long suspected that a companion star could contribute to some of these variations. Two studies published in 2024 predicted it would be easier to distinguish in December of that year, when it would appear farthest from Betelgeuse.
VLT images of Betelgeuse and its potential companion
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