Long-Predicted Stellar Companion of Betelgeuse Discovered | Gemini North Telescope

Long-Predicted Stellar Companion of Betelgeuse Discovered | Gemini North Telescope

Using the NASA-National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded ‘Alopeke instrument on the Gemini North telescope, one half of the International Gemini Observatory, partly funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and operated by NSF NOIRLab, astronomers have discovered a companion star in an incredibly tight orbit around Betelgeuse. This discovery answers the millennia-old question of why this famous star experiences a roughly six-year-long periodic change in its brightness, and provides insight into the physical mechanisms behind other variable red supergiants. ‘Alopeke is funded by the NASA-NSF Exoplanet Observational Research Program (NN-EXPLORE).

Credit: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/E. Slawik/ESO/L. Calçada/T. Matsopoulos
Image Processing: M. Zamani (NSF NOIRLab)

Duration: 1 minute, 21 seconds
Release Date: July 21, 2025

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