Monday, July 21, 2025

Betelgeuse Isn't Alone. It Has A Very Dim Companion

Using the NASA-NSF-funded ‘Alopeke instrument on the Gemini North telescope, astronomers have discovered a companion star in an incredibly tight orbit around Betelgeuse. This discovery answers the millennia-old question of why this famous star experiences a roughly six-year-long periodic change in its brightness. It also provides a clue into the physical mechanisms behind other variable red supergiants. The companion star appears blue here because, based on the team’s analysis, it is likely an A- or B-type star, both of which are blue-white due to their high temperatures. Image Credit: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA Image Processing: M. Zamani (NSF NOIRLab). Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

Astronomers have discovered a companion star in an incredibly tight orbit around Betelgeuse using the NASA and U.S. National Science Foundation-funded ‘Alopeke' instrument on Gemini North, one half of the International Gemini Observatory, partly funded by the NSF and operated by NSF NOIRLab. This discovery answers the longstanding mystery of the star’s varying brightness and provides insight into the physical mechanisms behind other variable red supergiants.



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