Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse! Astronomers capture clearest image yet of famous star's elusive companion - Space
Astronomers using the Very Large Telescope in Chile have captured the clearest image yet of a companion star orbiting Betelgeuse. This discovery provides strong evidence that the famous red supergiant is actually a binary star system.
Why it matters
It resolves a century-long scientific mystery regarding the star's dimming patterns and improves our understanding of stellar evolution.
Stars Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse! Astronomers capture clearest image yet of famous star's elusive companion News By Robert Lea Published 28 July 2026 "These are among the best moments in science: seeing something new, unexpected."
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Click for next article Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 1 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Astronomers have used the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in the Atacama Desert region of Northern Chile to discover the strongest evidence yet that the famous star Betelgeuse has a companion star. That means after a century of investigation, scientists are closer than ever before to conclusively identifying Betelgeuse as a binary system composed of two stars, Betelgeuse A and Betelgeuse B.
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