Latest news with #GeminiNorth
Time of India
10 hours ago
- Science
- Time of India
Astronomers discover blazing Betelgeuse has companion star
This is an AI generated image. Used for representation purpose only. 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. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Swelling and internal bleeding in the brain, help this baby Donate For Health Donate Now Undo 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.
BBC News
a day ago
- Science
- BBC News
Betelguese: Scientists discover why dazzling star changes brightness
Astronomers say they have confirmed why Betelgeuse, one of the night sky's most dazzling stars, regularly changes brightness. For the first time, they have discovered a much smaller companion star that is orbiting the red to new research, this 'little buddy' has a mass around 1.5 times greater than our say its passage across Betelgeuse's face causes a 400 day cycle of dimming, as well as another one that lasts for nearly six years. What have experts discovered? Betelgeuse is more than 10,000 times brighter than our Sun, and as a result, its blinding light makes spotting anything nearby say that they long suspected that Betelgeuse might have a star nearby and are delighted with the new turned to the the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii to prove their a technique called speckle imaging, they put together many images to overcome issues that Earth's atmosphere causes telescopes that are based on the ground. 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."The companion star is around four times the distance from Betelgeuse as the Earth is from the to the US research centre NOIRLab, which operates the Gemini Observatory, the discovery is the first time such a close companion star has been detected orbiting a supergiant. What is Betelgeuse? According to the International Gemini Observatory, Betelgeuse is one of the brightest stars in the night sky, and the closest red supergiant to in the constellation of Orion, people have observed Betelgeuse with the naked eye for thousands of years. It has a huge volume, and is around 1,000 times bigger than our Sun. It's thought to only be 10-million-years-old, however, due to its large mass it has evolved quickly and is late in its life.
India Today
2 days ago
- Science
- India Today
Giant star Betelgeuse, visible to naked eyes, has a smaller sun orbiting it
Astronomers have achieved a historic breakthrough by directly detecting a hidden companion star in a remarkably tight orbit around Betelgeuse, the iconic red supergiant blazing in the constellation the innovative 'Alopeke instrument on the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii, one half of the International Gemini Observatory, researchers have solved a century-old mystery about Betelgeuse's puzzling brightness changes and opened a new chapter in understanding red easily visible to the naked eye and one of the largest stars near Earth, has captured human attention for millennia. Its sheer size, some 700 times the Sun's radius, and fluctuating brightness have long made it a subject of fascination and confusion. Observations revealed that Betelgeuse's glow varies not only in a cycle of about 400 days but also in a pronounced secondary pattern every six years. This discovery answers the millennia-old question of why this famous star experiences a roughly six-year-long periodic change in its brightness. (Photo: NOIRLab) In 2019–2020, astronomers worldwide were riveted by the 'Great Dimming,' a sudden dramatic drop in the star's speculated Betelgeuse was about to explode in a supernova, but further analysis revealed the dimming resulted from a massive veil of dust cast off by the star Triumph: Direct Sight of a 'Betel-Buddy'Despite decades of pursuit and previous unsuccessful searches, including with the Hubble Space Telescope and Chandra X-Ray Observatory, no companion could be found until the recent by Steve Howell at NASA's Ames Research Center, the team utilised 'Alopeke's 'speckle imaging' technique: a method employing rapid-fire exposures that beat atmospheric blurring and deliver unparalleled coupled with Gemini North's immense 8.1-meter mirror, enabled the dim, tight-orbiting companion to finally come into the Companion StarAnalysis shows that the companion is six magnitudes fainter than Betelgeuse in visible light, and roughly 1.5 times the Sun's companiion is very young, classified as an A or B-type pre-main-sequence star, which is hot, blue-white, and not yet igniting hydrogen in its is orbiting just four times the Earth-to-Sun distance from Betelgeuse, well within the supergiant's extended atmosphere, an unprecedented finding. Photo: NOIRLab This is the first time such a close-in stellar companion has ever been detected around a supergiant star—a feat once deemed impossible to achieve with current discovery not only clarifies the underlying cause of Betelgeuse's six-year brightness variability but also hints that similar companions may shape the behavior of other red supergiants. Tidal forces will ultimately doom the companion, spiraling it into Betelgeuse over the next 10,000 prime opportunity to observe the companion will come in November 2027 when it will be at its greatest separation from Betelgeuse, promising more insights into the evolution of colossal stars.- Ends
Malay Mail
2 days ago
- 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
Irish Independent
2 days ago
- Science
- Irish Independent
Mystery of Betelgeuse twinkle solved after hundreds of years
It is Betelgeuse, and for hundreds of years astronomers have puzzled over why its twinkle grows lighter and then dimmer over time. But the mystery has finally been solved. Betelgeuse has a companion star that pushes light-blocking dust out of the way, temporarily making the star glow more brightly. The presence of the star, nicknamed 'Betelbuddy', had been theorised, but Nasa has spotted it for the first time using its Gemini North telescope, in Hawaii. Steve Howell, a senior research scientist at the Nasa Ames Research Centre in California, said: 'Papers that predicted Betelgeuse's companion believed that no one would likely ever be able to image it. 'Gemini North's ability to obtain high angular resolutions and sharp contrasts allowed the companion of Betelgeuse to be directly detected.' Betelgeuse, roughly pronounced as 'Beetlejuice', sits about 650 light years from Earth and glows 100,000 times brighter than the sun. It is so big that if it sat at the centre of our solar system, in the position of the sun, its surface would lie farther out than Mars. It is known as a variable star, getting brighter and dimmer every 400 days. In 2019 and 2020, there was a steep decrease in Betelgeuse's brightness − an event referred to as the 'Great Dimming', which led to some scientists suggesting its dulled twinkle was foreshadowing an impending supernova that would darken the star for ever. However, it turned out that the star had emitted a large gas bubble, which then cooled to form dust, temporarily blocking its shine. The Great Dimming mystery sparked a renewed interest in studying Betelgeuse, but it was not until researchers used a special technique called 'speckle imaging' that the star was discovered. Speckle imaging uses very short exposure times to freeze out the distortions in images caused by Earth's atmosphere, enabling high resolution, which, when combined with the light-collecting power of Gemini North, allowed the new star to be seen for the first time.
