International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA
Image Processing: M. Zamani (NSF NOIRLab)
Betelgeuse and Its Stellar Companion (non-annotated)
Using the NASA-NSF-funded ‘Alopeke instrument on the Gemini North telescope, one half of the International Gemini Observatory, partly funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and operated by NSF NOIRLab, astronomers have discovered a companion star in an incredibly tight orbit around Betelgeuse. This discovery answers the millennia-old question of why this famous star experiences a roughly six-year-long periodic change in its brightness, and provides insight into the physical mechanisms behind other variable red supergiants. The companion star appears blue here because, based on the team’s analysis, it is likely an A- or B-type star, both of which are blue-white due to their high temperatures.
‘Alopeke is funded by the NASA-NSF Exoplanet Observational Research Program (NN-EXPLORE).
