Astronomers Capture Betelgeuse B at 650 Light-Years, Strengthening 100-Year Binary Case
Updated
Updated · Space.com · Jul 28
Astronomers Capture Betelgeuse B at 650 Light-Years, Strengthening 100-Year Binary Case
3 articles · Updated · Space.com · Jul 28
Summary
Using the Very Large Telescope in northern Chile, astronomers obtained their clearest direct image yet of Betelgeuse B, the long-suspected companion to Betelgeuse.
Two 2024 papers predicted the companion would be farthest from Betelgeuse A in December 2024, giving Miguel Montargès' team the opening to spot it with the VLT's SPHERE coronagraph and image processing.
New observations suggest Betelgeuse B is about two to three times the Sun's mass, not roughly solar-mass as previously theorized, helping explain why it was detectable.
Researchers said one more observation in about a year—when the object appears on the other side of the star—should firmly confirm the binary system and clarify whether the companion could affect the red supergiant's evolution.