“I jumped from my chair” – Astronomers spot Betelgeuse’s hidden companion

Astronomers have captured their clearest image yet of Betelgeuse’s long-suspected companion, potentially ending a search that lasted about 100 years. The surprisingly massive hidden star could help explain Betelgeuse’s changing brightness and may influence its future supernova. “I jumped from my chair” – Astronomers spot Betelgeuse’s hidden companion.

“I jumped from my chair” – Astronomers spot Betelgeuse’s hidden companion | Science News from research organizations “I jumped from my chair” – Astronomers spot Betelgeuse’s hidden companion Date: August 27, 2026 Source: ESO Summary: Astronomers have captured their clearest image yet of Betelgeuse’s long-suspected companion, potentially ending a search that lasted about 100 years. Share: Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIN Email FULL STORY Using ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), astronomers have obtained the clearest image ever of what likely is Betelgeuse B, a star orbiting Betelgeuse. The image in the middle inset in this image was taken in January 2019 with the SPHERE instrument at ESO’s VLT, and shows Betelgeuse itself.

The image in the inset on the left was taken in December 2024, when the companion was predicted to be furthest apart from Betelgeuse as seen from Earth. In this inset Betelgeuse has been removed, revealing a source (marked with a crosshair) consistent with being Betelgeuse B. Rissinger (skysurvey.org) Astronomers now have their strongest evidence yet that Betelgeuse, one of the best-known stars in the night sky, has a stellar companion.

A team led by French astronomer Miguel Montargès used the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT) to capture the clearest image so far of what is believed to be Betelgeuse B, a star orbiting the famous red supergiant.