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Betelgeuse's New Companion Star Challenges Binary Theories

10/23/2025

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Summary

Story summary

Betelgeuse has a confirmed companion star named Betelbuddy.
Carnegie Mellon University researchers used the Gemini North Telescope to observe Betelbuddy, a faint companion about the size of the Sun.
Betelgeuse has a mass of 16 to 17 solar masses, far larger than Betelbuddy, challenging existing binary-star theories.
The discovery opens new avenues for studying extreme mass-ratio binaries, with researchers anticipating further discoveries.

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Story summary

Betelgeuse has a confirmed companion star named Betelbuddy.
Carnegie Mellon University researchers used the Gemini North Telescope to observe Betelbuddy, a faint companion about the size of the Sun.
Betelgeuse has a mass of 16 to 17 solar masses, far larger than Betelbuddy, challenging existing binary-star theories.
The discovery opens new avenues for studying extreme mass-ratio binaries, with researchers anticipating further discoveries.