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VLT Spots Betelgeuse’s Faint Companion, 3-Solar-Mass Star

7/29/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Astronomers using the Very Large Telescope captured the clearest evidence of a faint companion to Betelgeuse.
Dr. Miguel Montargès led the VLT/SPHERE-ZIMPOL observation on December 3 and 6, 2024.
The images show a point source 52 mas from Betelgeuse, about 8.8 AU away, with a mass of 2.6–3.1 solar masses.
The separation suggests a 5.5–6-year orbit, findings that were published in Astronomy & Astrophysics (A&A 711, L12) in 2026.

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Story summary

Astronomers using the Very Large Telescope captured the clearest evidence of a faint companion to Betelgeuse.
Dr. Miguel Montargès led the VLT/SPHERE-ZIMPOL observation on December 3 and 6, 2024.
The images show a point source 52 mas from Betelgeuse, about 8.8 AU away, with a mass of 2.6–3.1 solar masses.
The separation suggests a 5.5–6-year orbit, findings that were published in Astronomy & Astrophysics (A&A 711, L12) in 2026.