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Astronomers Detect Strong Evidence of Betelgeuse's Mysterious Stellar Companion
🇬🇷 Greece /Health & Science

Astronomers Detect Strong Evidence of Betelgeuse's Mysterious Stellar Companion

From Ta Nea · () Greek

Translated from Greek and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • Astronomers have detected the strongest evidence yet of a stellar companion, Betelgeuse B, orbiting the red supergiant star Betelgeuse.
  • Using the Very Large Telescope, the team captured the clearest image to date of the potential companion, which is two to three times more massive than the Sun.
  • The discovery could help explain Betelgeuse's variable brightness and provides a significant new detail about this well-studied star.

After a century of speculation, astronomers have captured the clearest image yet of a potential stellar companion to Betelgeuse, the famous red supergiant in the constellation Orion. Using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT), a team led by French astronomer Miguel Montargès has found the strongest evidence to date that Betelgeuse is not alone.

We have demonstrated that Betelgeuse is not alone, but is accompanied by a faint stellar companion.

— Miguel MontargèsDescribing the discovery of Betelgeuse B.

Published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, the study confirms the presence of a faint stellar companion, dubbed Betelgeuse B. Montargès expressed his excitement, recalling, "I jumped out of my chair when I saw the processed images." The existence of a companion had been theorized for about a century as a possible explanation for Betelgeuse's fluctuating brightness.

Previous studies in 2024 had predicted that the companion would be at its maximum distance from the main star in December of that year, making it easier to detect. Montargès's team utilized the VLT in December 2024, dedicating months to processing the data. "Honestly, I thought we didn't have the sensitivity to detect Betelgeuse B as predicted," Montargès admitted.

I jumped out of my chair when I saw the processed images.

— Miguel MontargèsRecalling his reaction to the initial data showing the companion star.

However, the new observations revealed that Betelgeuse B is two to three times more massive than the Sun, a finding that surprised the researchers. "The fact that we are discovering such a close companion, more massive and brighter than the Sun, around such a studied star is remarkable," Montargès added. The direct imaging was achieved using the SPHERE instrument on the VLT in Chile's Atacama Desert.

Honestly, I thought we didn't have the sensitivity to detect Betelgeuse B as predicted.

— Miguel MontargèsExpressing initial doubts about the ability to detect the faint companion star.

While previous indications existed, this represents the most compelling evidence and the clearest image of Betelgeuse B to date. Co-author Anthony Boccaletti noted the impressive capability of the SPHERE instrument and advanced processing techniques, typically used for exoplanets, to distinguish a companion around a massive star like Betelgeuse. Montargès believes only minor doubts remain, though further observation on the opposite side of the star in a year is needed for complete certainty.

The fact that we are discovering such a close companion, more massive and brighter than the Sun, around such a studied star is remarkable.

— Miguel MontargèsHighlighting the significance of finding a massive companion around a well-known star.
About this summary

Originally published by Ta Nea in Greek. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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