Astronomers Capture First Clear Image of Betelgeuse's Hidden Companion

French astronomer Miguel Montargès and colleagues employed ESO's Very Large Telescope with the SPHERE imager to capture the most detailed view of a suspected companion to the red supergiant Betelgeuse. The object, dubbed Betelgeuse B, shines faintly beside the bright star and is estimated to weigh about two to three solar masses, exceeding earlier predictions of a Sun-like mass. The detection was made after two 2024 studies pinpointed the optimal time—December 2024—when the companion would be at its greatest apparent separation.

Although the image offers the strongest evidence to date, the researchers intend to observe the candidate again on the opposite side of Betelgeuse to verify its orbital motion. This hidden star may help explain past dimming events and could influence the star’s future supernova dynamics. The results were published in Astronomy & Astrophysics and involve a multinational team from institutions across France, the Netherlands, the United States, Germany, Belgium, and Chile.