Betelgeuse, one of the brightest stars predicted to explode, hides a tiny sun

Betelgeuse, a red supergiant about 1,00,000 times brighter than our sun, exhibits two distinct pulsation patterns: a short-term cycle of about a year and a longer six-year cycle.

In Short

• The star is seeing enigmatic brightening and dimming patterns
• It is likely caused by the Betelbuddy's orbital motion
• Their findings is accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal

Recent research has unveiled a surprising discovery about Betelgeuse, one of the brightest stars in the night sky.

Contrary to previous speculations about its imminent supernova explosion, a new study suggests that the star's enigmatic brightening and dimming patterns may be caused by an unseen companion star.

Astrophysicist Jared Goldberg and his colleagues from the Flatiron Institute's Center for Computational Astrophysics have proposed the existence of a companion star, dubbed "Betelbuddy," orbiting Betelgeuse.

Their findings, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal, indicate that this companion acts like a cosmic snowplow, pushing aside light-blocking dust and temporarily increasing Betelgeuse's apparent brightness.

"We ruled out every intrinsic source of variability that we could think of," Goldberg explained. "The only hypothesis that seemed to fit is that Betelgeuse has a companion."

Betelgeuse, a red supergiant about 1,00,000 times brighter than our sun, exhibits two distinct pulsation patterns: a short-term cycle of about a year and a longer six-year cycle.

The researchers concluded that the longer cycle, known as a long secondary period, is likely caused by the Betelbuddy's orbital motion through Betelgeuse's surrounding dust.

While the exact nature of Betelbuddy remains uncertain, the team estimates it could be a star up to twice the mass of our sun. Some researchers even speculate it might be a neutron star, though this hypothesis lacks supporting evidence from X-ray observations.

This discovery challenges previous assumptions about Betelgeuse's life cycle and potential supernova timing. It also highlights the complexity of stellar systems and the ongoing mysteries in astrophysics.

The research team plans to conduct further observations to confirm Betelbuddy's existence, with a potential window of visibility around December 6.

This study not only sheds new light on a well-known star but also demonstrates the power of collaborative, interdisciplinary research in advancing our understanding of the cosmos.