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A Hidden Star Is Plowing Through Betelgeuse’s Atmosphere, New Evidence Suggests
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What Happened?
Astronomers have detected changes in Betelgeuse's shape, suggesting a companion star, Siwarha, is moving through its atmosphere. This discovery follows the star's unusual brightness fluctuations.
Key points
- Betelgeuse is a massive red supergiant star located in the Orion constellation.
- Astronomers observed changes in Betelgeuse's shape, indicating a companion star's influence.
- The companion star, Siwarha, orbits close to Betelgeuse, affecting its atmosphere.
- Betelgeuse's brightness temperature has returned to about 3,500 Kelvin.
- A cooler atmospheric layer, known as the MOLsphere, was confirmed with temperatures around 2,200 Kelvin.
- Future observations are needed to further understand Siwarha's impact on Betelgeuse.
Key insights
- The discovery of Siwarha may lead to a better understanding of stellar interactions.
- Betelgeuse's atmospheric disturbances could inform theories about supergiant star evolution.
- Further studies may reveal how companion stars influence their host stars' atmospheres.
Why it matters
Understanding Betelgeuse's atmospheric changes could provide insights into the life cycle of massive stars.
Tags
Entities
Betelgeuse· StarSiwarha· StarOrion· ConstellationMIT Haystack Observatory· OrganizationCenter for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian· OrganizationUniversity of Manchester· OrganizationEuropean Southern Observatory· Organization
Source
Science Daily
