New images reveal Betelgeuse’s buddy star

The sighting appears to confirm a century of hints and claims

The outline of the constellation Orion is seen on a starry sky. An inset pointing to one spot on Orion has an image of the red supergiant Betelgeuse. An inset of that image shows a bright spot near the big star.

The red supergiant star Betelgeuse (middle), which perches on a shoulder of the constellation Orion (right), is expected to swallow its companion star (small bright dot, left) in about 10,000 years.

ESO, M. Montargès et al/Astronomy & Astrophysics. Background: N. Rissinger/skysurvey.org

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