Latest news with #supernova
Jordan Times
5 days ago
- Science
- Jordan Times
Astronomers discover blazing Betelgeuse has companion star
PARIS — Since at least the time of the ancient Egyptians, people across the world have gazed up in awe at Betelgeuse, one of the brightest stars blazing in the night sky. Now astronomers have discovered that this red supergiant, known to many as the hunter's shoulder in the Orion constellation, is being orbited by a much smaller companion star, a study said on Monday. It is not the first time Betelgeuse has surprised stargazers. Seemingly out of nowhere, the giant star dramatically dimmed for five months between 2019 and 2020, leading some scientists to suggest it could soon die in an epic supernova explosion. Further observations revealed that this event -- known as the "Great Dimming" -- was actually caused by material ejected from the surface that cooled part of the star, creating a dust cloud that blocked its light. But scientists could still not explain why Betelgeuse's brightness changes regularly, both on a 400-day cycle and another that lasts nearly six years. In a paper titled "A Buddy for Betelgeuse" published in December, some researchers theorised that the longer variation could be caused by a hidden small star orbiting the behemoth. Astronomers using the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii have now discovered this elusive companion, according to a new study in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. Little buddy This companion has a mass around 1.5 times greater than our Sun, the research estimated. That means it is dwarfed by Betelgeuse, which is 1,000 times bigger than the Sun. The companion star is around four times the distance from Betelgeuse as the Earth is from the Sun, which is quite close for a stellar companion. The discovery is the first time such a close companion star has been detected orbiting a supergiant, according to a statement from the US research centre NOIRLab, which operates the Gemini Observatory. Betelgeuse is more than 10,000 times brighter than the Sun, its blinding light making spotting anything nearby difficult. Steve Howell, a NASA scientist who led the research team, said previous "papers that predicted Betelgeuse's companion believed that no one would likely ever be able to image it". However the Gemini North telescope was able to spot the much smaller, dimmer star using a technique called speckle imaging. This involves assembling many images taken with short exposure times to overcome the distortions that Earth's atmosphere causes ground-bound telescopes. According to Greek myth, the giant hunter Orion claimed he would kill all the world's beasts, so Earth goddess Gaia sent a scorpion to kill him. God king Zeus then turned both Orion and the scorpion -- Scorpius -- into constellations. Earlier, ancient Egyptians included Betelgeuse in the constellation Osiris, their god of the dead. Even earlier, research has suggested that Indigenous Australians included Betelgeuse in their own constellations -- and had noticed the star's varying brightness.
Malay Mail
22-07-2025
- Science
- Malay Mail
Astronomers spot hidden companion star orbiting blazing Betelgeuse
PARIS, July 22 — Since at least the time of the ancient Egyptians, people across the world have gazed up in awe at Betelgeuse, one of the brightest stars blazing in the night sky. Now astronomers have discovered that this red supergiant, known to many as the hunter's shoulder in the Orion constellation, is being orbited by a much smaller companion star, a study said on Monday. It is not the first time Betelgeuse has surprised stargazers. Seemingly out of nowhere, the giant star dramatically dimmed for five months between 2019 and 2020, leading some scientists to suggest it could soon die in an epic supernova explosion. Further observations revealed that this event — known as the 'Great Dimming' — was actually caused by material ejected from the surface that cooled part of the star, creating a dust cloud that blocked its light. But scientists could still not explain why Betelgeuse's brightness changes regularly, both on a 400-day cycle and another that lasts nearly six years. In a paper titled 'A Buddy for Betelgeuse' published in December, some researchers theorised that the longer variation could be caused by a hidden small star orbiting the behemoth. Astronomers using the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii have now discovered this elusive companion, according to a new study in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. Little buddy This companion has a mass around 1.5 times greater than our Sun, the research estimated. That means it is dwarfed by Betelgeuse, which is 1,000 times bigger than the Sun. The companion star is around four times the distance from Betelgeuse as the Earth is from the Sun, which is quite close for a stellar companion. The discovery is the first time such a close companion star has been detected orbiting a supergiant, according to a statement from the US research centre NOIRLab, which operates the Gemini Observatory. Betelgeuse is more than 10,000 times brighter than the Sun, its blinding light making spotting anything nearby difficult. Steve Howell, a Nasa scientist who led the research team, said previous 'papers that predicted Betelgeuse's companion believed that no one would likely ever be able to image it'. However the Gemini North telescope was able to spot the much smaller, dimmer star using a technique called speckle imaging. This involves assembling many images taken with short exposure times to overcome the distortions that Earth's atmosphere causes ground-bound telescopes. According to Greek myth, the giant hunter Orion claimed he would kill all the world's beasts, so Earth goddess Gaia sent a scorpion to kill him. God king Zeus then turned both Orion and the scorpion — Scorpius — into constellations. Earlier, ancient Egyptians included Betelgeuse in the constellation Osiris, their god of the dead. Even earlier, research has suggested that Indigenous Australians included Betelgeuse in their own constellations — and had noticed the star's varying brightness. — AFP
New York Times
22-07-2025
- Science
- New York Times
When Betelgeuse Explodes, It's Going to Take Out Another Star
Betelgeuse, a colossal tangerine-red star, is barreling toward annihilation. The stellar body is pronounced 'Beetlejuice,' like the guy in the afterlife whose name you're not supposed to say thrice. And at some point soon, in galactic terms, it is expected to explode as a supernova, setting the night sky ablaze. Despite its self-destructive proclivities, the irritable giant has managed to make, and keep, a friend. On Monday, a team of astronomers announced that they had spotted another star hewing extremely close to Betelgeuse. So close, in fact, that the second star plows through the tenuous outer atmosphere of the red supergiant. The two objects make for a strange pair. Unlike Betelgeuse, which is approaching the end of its life, the blue-white companion (or Betelbuddy) has yet to start burning hydrogen in its core. In other words, the star hasn't entered the chapter of its life known as the main sequence — one that characterizes many stars, including our own. 'You have a star that is about to die, and it's being orbited by a star that's not fully born,' said Miguel Montargès, an astronomer at the Paris Observatory who was not involved with the new research. 'Isn't that crazy?' said Steve B. Howell, a scientist at NASA Ames Research Center in California and one of the discoverers of the companion star. 'It's kind of crazy.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Betelgeuse's companion star finally located after years of debate
Humans have gazed up at Betelgeuse for thousands of years. As one of the night sky's brightest stars, the red supergiant is easily discernible from its location in the Orion constellation. But for a few months in 2019 and 2020, astronomers believed Betelgeuse's days were numbered. A dramatic decrease in luminosity led some experts to theorize the 10-million-year-old star with a radius 700 times larger than our sun was about to go supernova. In the end, however, researchers determined that the 'Great Dimming' was actually caused by the star ejecting a large dust plume. But all of that extra attention has led to another remarkable find. As it turns out, Betegeuse isn't alone—it actually has a nearby companion star. The never-before-seen celestial object is detailed in two separate studies scheduled to publish on July 24 in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. The main clue that tipped astronomers off to the companion star came in the form of Betelgeuse's luminosity intervals, also known as variabilities. The red supergiant actually has two variability periods—a primary one lasting about 400 days, and a secondary that lasts roughly 6 years. After reviewing the star's archival data, researchers recently proposed the longer secondary phase may be due to an external influence in the form of a companion star. But even with an initial search party that included the Hubble Space Telescope and the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, investigators didn't locate any additional stellar objects. Some experts were doubtful that anyone would ever locate the star, even if it existed. 'Papers that predicted Betelgeuse's companion believed that no one would likely ever be able to image it,' Steve Howell, a senior research scientist at NASA Ames Research Center and study co-author, explained in a statement. That changed after the team enlisted the help of a 'fox.' Mounted on the International Gemini Observatory's Gemini North telescope on Hawai'i's Mauna Kea is a speckle imager named 'Alopeke—the Hawai'ian word for fox. Speckle imagers work by using short exposure times to negate image distortions caused by Earth's atmosphere. This allows for high-resolution looks into the cosmos, in this case with a boost from Gemini North's 26.5-inch mirror. This method allowed astrophysicists to finally locate an extremely faint companion next to Betelgeuse. Further analysis indicates the second star is six magnitudes fainter than Betelgeuse with a mass about 1.5 times that of the sun. It also is likely an A- or B-type pre-main-sequence star, meaning it is a young, hot blue-white star that isn't yet burning hydrogen in its core. Betelgeuse and its companion star were likely born at the same time, but their relationship won't end well. According to the study's authors, tidal forces will eventually cause the latter object to spiral into its partner, initiating an end to both of them. That said, astronomers estimate the pair's finale will take place sometime within the next 10,000 years. But before that, researchers hope to study the two stars even more. Their next chance will begin in November 2027, when the stellar companion's orbit places it at its furthest distance from Betelgeuse. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
James Webb Space Telescope Spots Stellar Death Shrouds
In brilliant new images, the James Webb Space Telescope has captured a rare glimpse at the gaseous "shrouds" that surround dying stars before they go supernova. Known as Wolf-Rayet stars, which were discovered nearly 160 years ago by astronomers Charles Wolf and Georges Rayet at the Paris Observatory and named in their honor, these ancient stars are, as notes, surrounded by a "shroud" of cosmic dust that will eventually explode outward and lay the foundations for new stars. These aged stars, as explains, have burned off most of their hydrogen. According to Noel Richardson, the leader of the team at Florida's Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University that found four new Wolf-Rayet systems, the hydrogen burn-off signals that the stars are dying. As they do, powerful winds that pump out of the star system roughly every eight years create the concentric rings that make up these ghastly "shrouds." While these star systems' existence has been known for the better part of two centuries, their dusty veils have only been observed once before, when the Webb telescope caught similar imagery around WR-140, an aging binary star system located about 5,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cygnus. As explained in an Embry-Riddle statement, this discovery from Richardson and his students not only affirms that other Wolf-Rayet stars form those beautiful, dusty shrouds in the harsh void of space, but also could contribute to our understanding of the stellar life cycle. Astronomer Ryan Lau — who works at the National Science Foundation's NOIRLab in Tucson and helped Richardson's team with the new Wolf-Rayet images — said in the university's statement that he's looking forward to seeing what else these strange shells can teach us. "Where does this dust go?" Lau posited. "We want to learn what exactly the chemistry of this dust is. To do that, we need to take spectra to identify specific grain composition — the physical properties — to get an idea of the chemical contribution to the interstellar medium." To capture such poignant and awe-inspiring moments in the lives of star systems is already an incredible feat — and with the Webb telescope's sophisticated equipment, there will likely be more where that came from. More on Webb: James Webb Discovers First-Ever Exoplanet by Taking a Picture of It
