Key Takeaways:
* Betelgeuse may have a small, unseen companion star orbiting it.
* Independent studies assert the companion star has about the same mass as our sun.
* Historical measurements of Betelgeuse’s brightness cycles suggest the companion’s presence.
* Betelgeuse’s companion star orbits every 2,100 days, causing the star’s brightening and dimming cycle.
Discovering Betelgeuse’s Hidden Companion
In the vast cosmos, Betelgeuse, the red supergiant marking Orion’s left shoulder, seems to have a secret partner hidden in plain sight. Recent studies found evidence of a tiny companion star orbiting Betelgeuse, causing experts to revisit old observations with fresh interest.
A Sun-like Star Orbiting Betelgeuse
Believed to have the same mass as our sun, this tiny star has been orbiting the giant Betelgeuse roughly every 2,100 days. The findings caught the scientific community by surprise. Astrophysicist Morgan MacLeod lauds, “It was very surprising. If it’s real, it’s pretty much hidden right there in plain sight.”
Betelgeuse’s Brightness Cycle Points to Hidden Companion
MacLeod and his colleagues linked the mysterious six-year cycle of Betelgeuse’s fluctuating brightness to the orbit of this small companion star around it. Delving into historical measurements that date back to 1896 has shed new light on this strange cycle. Confirming its existence and reliability, this orbital cycle provides a clearer picture of the red supergiant’s varying brightness trend.
Meanwhile, another team, led by Jared Goldberg, utilized precise measurements of Betelgeuse’s movement across the sky from the past two decades to lend credence to the idea of a companion star. They also found that this tiny sunlike star nudged the massive Betelgeuse.
A Century-Old Theory Revisited
Earlier observers had already noticed Betelgeuse’s light varying on a six-year cycle. English astronomer Henry Cozier Plummer proposed in 1908 that a companion star’s gravitational tug could cause it. However, amidst the discovery of varied cycles and complicated behavior exhibited by Betelgeuse – including pulsation, significant bursts of material, and an atmosphere boiling akin to a pot of water – this hypothesis got overlooked. There were plenty of other reasons put forth to explain Betelgeuse’s strange behavior.
The “Great Dimming” of Betelgeuse in 2019, however, led astronomers to delve deeper into this mystery once again. After analyzing over 128 years of observations, they concluded that the brightness cycle tied to the companion star held true over centuries.
The Mysterious Companion’s Traits
This little star is likely 0.6 times the mass of our sun and orbits Betelgeuse at a close distance, just more than twice the radius of Betelgeuse. However, Goldberg’s data suggests a slightly different orbit and mass. According to his observations, the mysterious star might orbit every 2,170 days and carry a mass about 1.2 times the sun’s.
Implications for Understanding Red Supergiants
Although these discoveries have stirred excitement among astronomers, verifying them is tricky. “It could have implications for our understanding of red supergiants. However, it will be very hard to confirm, if not impossible,” warns Miguel Montargès of the Paris Observatory.
Regardless of its verification, the fate of this diminutive star seems sealed. Betelgeuse is slowly consuming its little partner’s angular momentum, shrinking its orbit. Astronomers predict that in about 10,000 years, Betelgeuse will swallow its tiny companion entirely, marking the end of a tale that was overlooked, lost, and revived in the annals of observational astronomy.