Astronomers directly image Betelgeuse’s companion

Astronomers have obtained the strongest evidence to date that the red supergiant star Betelgeuse is not alone, capturing what is likely the clearest direct image of a long-suspected stellar companion. The discovery, announced on July 28, 2026, concludes a century of speculation and provides new insights into one of the night sky's most recognizable stars.

Using the SPHERE instrument on the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope in Chile's Atacama Desert, a team led by astronomer Miguel Montargès of the Paris Observatory directly imaged the faint companion, now designated Betelgeuse B. The observations were strategically timed for December 2024, when earlier research predicted the companion would be at its greatest apparent separation from the brilliant supergiant, offering a rare observational window.

"This is the conclusion of a century-long quest," Montargès said. "We have shown that Betelgeuse is not single; it is accompanied by a faint stellar companion." He described the moment of discovery, recalling that he jumped from his chair when he saw the processed images. The team employed advanced post-processing techniques, originally developed for exoplanet...