Astronomers Image Betelgeuse B at 2-3 Solar Masses, Confirming Century-Old Companion Hunt
Updated
Updated · Sky at Night Magazine · Aug 1
Astronomers Image Betelgeuse B at 2-3 Solar Masses, Confirming Century-Old Companion Hunt
3 articles · Updated · Sky at Night Magazine · Aug 1
Summary
Direct imaging with the Very Large Telescope in Chile produced the clearest evidence yet that Betelgeuse has a faint companion star, Betelgeuse B, orbiting it.
December 2024 observations were timed because models predicted the companion would be farthest from Betelgeuse then and easiest to detect, helping end a roughly 100-year search.
New measurements suggest Betelgeuse B is 2-3 times the Sun's mass, not about 1 solar mass as earlier predictions had indicated, making it bright enough to be seen.
The team says one more observation in about a year, with the companion on the other side of the star, should remove the little doubt that remains.
The finding could reshape how astronomers model Betelgeuse's future evolution and any eventual supernova, since the companion may influence the red supergiant's final stages.
Could Betelgeuse's newly discovered, surprisingly massive companion star be the hidden trigger altering the red supergiant's eventual supernova explosion?
After a century of hiding, how exactly does this young companion manipulate the violent dust clouds of its dying supergiant neighbor?