Astronomers Confirm Betelgeuse Has a Massive Companion Star

A team led by French astronomer Miguel Montargès has obtained the clearest image yet of a companion orbiting the red supergiant Betelgeuse. Using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in Chile and its SPHERE instrument, the researchers captured Betelgeuse B in December 2024, providing the strongest evidence to date that the star is not solitary.

The companion appears to be two to three times the mass of the Sun, significantly larger than earlier estimates that placed it near solar mass. The discovery resolves a century‑long search for a nearby object that could explain Betelgeuse’s irregular brightness variations. Results were published in *Astronomy & Astrophysics* and the team plans follow‑up observations as the companion moves to the opposite side of its orbit.