“I jumped from my chair” – Astronomers spot Betelgeuse’s hidden companion
Science Daily · 2026-08-27
Astronomers have obtained the clearest image yet of what is believed to be Betelgeuse B, a star orbiting the red supergiant Betelgeuse, confirming a century-long search for its companion. French astronomer Miguel Montargès led a team using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (ESO's VLT) to capture the image in December 2024, after two 2024 studies predicted the companion's location. The direct detection was made possible by the VLT's SPHERE instrument. Contrary to earlier estimates that put its mass at roughly that of the Sun, the new observations suggest Betelgeuse B is considerably larger, with two to three times the Sun's mass. This discovery, published in *Astronomy & Astrophysics*, provides the strongest evidence so far for the companion's existence, though another observation in about a year is sought for definitive confirmation. The presence of Betelgeuse B introduces a new factor for astronomers to consider in understanding the red supergiant's evolution and its eventual supernova explosion, an event previously anticipated during a significant dimming of Betelgeuse years ago, which was ultimately attributed to dust clouds.