Astronomers find clear evidence that Betelgeuse star 'is not single'

A colour composite of Betelgeuse made from exposures from the Digitized Sky Survey 2 by the European Southern Observatory. © ESO/Digitized Sky Survey 2. Acknowledgment: Davide De Martin.

Astronomers have this week unveiled the first image of an elusive companion star orbiting Betelgeuse, one of the brightest and best-known stars located in the Orion constellation.

The best evidence of the existence of the companion star was published in a study on Tuesday, based on observations by the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile.