Find the main facts in our quick 1-minute read:
- Official discovery: Astronomers using the Gemini North telescope’s ‘Alopeke speckle imager have likely detected a stellar companion to Betelgeuse for the first time, solving a century‑old hypothesis
- Hypothesis confirmed? The companion aligns with predictions from two 2024 modeling studies that linked Betelgeuse’s roughly 6‑year brightness cycle to a hidden orbiting star
- Imaging technique: By taking thousands of ultra‑short exposures, the team avoided Betelgeuse’s glare and captured the faint signal of the close companion
- Companion properties: The star appears to be about 1.5 times the mass of the Sun, an early-stage pre-main-sequence star (likely A‑ or B‑type), and six magnitudes fainter than Betelgeuse
- Tight orbit: It orbits at roughly four times the Earth–Sun distance, placing it within Betelgeuse’s enormous outer atmosphere
- Mystery solved? This companion offers a natural explanation for Betelgeuse’s Long Secondary Period (LSP) brightness variations, linked to periodic dust distribution changes
- Fate uncertain: Gravitational drag and tidal forces suggest the companion may spiral into and be consumed by Betelgeuse within the next 10,000 years
- Next opportunity: Another observation window in November 2027 should place the companion at its maximum apparent separation—ideal for follow-up study