Betelgeuse News 2026: Will Betelgeuse Go Supernova? New Companion Star Discovery Sheds Light
Breaking news about Betelgeuse! Astronomers have finally confirmed — and even captured — a tiny companion star tightly orbiting the red supergiant Betelgeuse. This discovery sheds light on the star’s dramatic future, including its expected supernova explosion. Want to spot Betelgeuse in your sky right now? Just open our Star Walk 2 app and it’ll guide you right to it. Read on to explore Betelgeuse, learn more about its mysterious dimming, and the faint "Betelbuddy" hiding in its glow.
Contents
- What is Betelgeuse?
- Siwarha: Betelgeuse’s close stellar companion
- How to find Betelgeuse in the sky?
- When will Betelgeuse go supernova?
- Betelgeuse: not yet a supernova, but still a celestial gem
What is Betelgeuse?
Let's start with the scientific characteristics of Betelgeuse.
- Official names: Betelgeuse, α Orionis, Alpha Orionis, Alpha Ori, α Ori
- Catalog designations: 58 Ori, HR 2061, HD 39801, HIP 27989
- Constellation: Orion
- Star type: red supergiant
- Right ascension: 05h 55m 10.305s
- Declination: +07° 24′ 25.4304″
- Apparent magnitude: variable
- Mass: 11-16 solar masses
- Luminosity: 7,600 to 14,000 L
- Radius: ~640–1,021 solar radii
- Surface temperature: 3,500 K
- Distance from the Earth: 642.5 light-years
- Rotation period: 36 ± 8 years
Now let's make it easier. What is Betelgeuse, in a nutshell?
- Red supergiant: The stars of this type are nearing the end of their lives. They are the largest stars in the Universe and expand outward into space as they age. You can learn more about the life cycles of stars in our colorful infographic.
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Big and massive star: Betelgeuse is about 16 times more massive than our Sun, and its radius is between 640 and 764 times greater than that of the Sun. If it were at the center of our Solar System, its radius would extend beyond Jupiter's orbit.
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Distant celestial body: Betelgeuse is 650 light-years from us, which means that the light we see from Betelgeuse today began its journey in the Middle Ages. Still, it's the closest red supergiant to our Solar System, making it an important object for scientists to study.
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Variable star: Unlike most stars that have a constant glow, Betelgeuse gets brighter and dimmer over time. It has several cycles of changing brightness, including a major one about every 420 days, and others lasting 185 days, 230 days, and even 2,200 days. In addition, Betelgeuse has sudden brightness changes that break out of the known cycle.
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Naked eye orange-red star: Betelgeuse is the 2nd brightest star in Orion (after Rigel), the 7th brightest star in the Northern Hemisphere, and the 10th brightest star in the entire night sky. Although its brightness is not stable, it is visible to the naked eye even at its dimmest.
Siwarha: Betelgeuse’s close stellar companion
Just recently, astronomers have confirmed that Betelgeuse isn’t alone. In July 2025, researchers reported the first direct detection of a close stellar companion orbiting the red supergiant — ending decades of speculation about the cause of Betelgeuse’s unusual behavior.
The companion is known as Betelgeuse B or Siwarha, which means “her bracelet” in Arabic. The name echoes Betelgeuse’s traditional Arabic name — often translated as “the hand of Orion” — and reflects the close link between the two stars. The name Siwarha was officially recognized in September 2025; formerly it was known as Alpha Orionis B.
Siwarha appears to be a low-mass star (~1.4–1.6 solar masses) — likely a hot, blue-white main-sequence star formed alongside Betelgeuse about 10 million years ago. It stayed hidden for so long because it’s around six magnitudes fainter than Betelgeuse and orbits extremely close to the supergiant.
The companion completes an orbit roughly every 2,100 days (about six years), moving through the outer layers of Betelgeuse’s vast atmosphere. That makes Betelgeuse the first red supergiant with a confirmed close stellar companion — a rare configuration with important impact for the evolution of massive stars.
There will probably be a dramatic endgame for Siwarha. Tidal interactions are expected to pull the companion star inward, and it may be engulfed by Betelgeuse within about 10,000 years — long before Betelgeuse eventually goes supernova.
Astronomers expect the next especially good opportunity to observe and study Siwarha to be in November 2027, when it will be at its widest apparent separation from Betelgeuse. Unfortunately, Siwarha can only be seen from Earth with professional telescopes.
How to find Betelgeuse in the sky?
To easily find Betelgeuse in the night sky, consider using an astronomy app such as Star Walk 2 or Sky Tonight. Just enter "Betelgeuse" in the search bar, select the star from the search results, and point your device at the sky. Follow the on-screen arrow until you see reddish bright Betelgeuse on the app’s sky map and in the real sky above you.
Where is Betelgeuse located?
Betelgeuse marks the left shoulder of Orion, the legendary hunter in the sky. It's the second-brightest star in the constellation, the first being bluish Rigel, which shines brightly at the hunter's right foot. You will find Betelgeuse above Alnitak – the first of the three stars that form the famous Orion's Belt. Rigel is on the other side of the Belt, below the star Mintaka. Need help remembering this? Check out our captivating celestial poem on Instagram, which will guide you to the prominent stars of Orion!
Betelgeuse is a part of the asterism Winter Triangle, also known as the Great Southern Triangle. This asterism resides within the Winter Hexagon and also contains the bright stars Sirius and Procyon.
To find Betelgeuse, look in the southwestern sky if you are in the Northern Hemisphere or in the northwestern sky if you are in the Southern Hemisphere. It is best seen between latitudes 85 north and 75 degrees south of the equator.
When is Betelgeuse visible?
Betelgeuse is usually visible to most people around the Earth from September through March, with the best views in December. The star rises in the evening, from around sunset. You can find out the exact time it will be visible in your location in the Sky Tonight app and set up notifications so you don't miss it.
Are you ready for observation? Test your skills with our stargazing quiz!
When will Betelgeuse go supernova?
As beautiful as Betelgeuse is to observe, the main question on many people's minds is when it will go supernova. If it happens soon, it will be one of the greatest astronomical events in history! A Betelgeuse supernova will shine as brightly as a half-Moon and will be visible during the day for several months. A sight that no one will miss. However, according to the latest discoveries, it doesn’t seem to be happening anytime soon.
The Great Dimming of Betelgeuse in 2019-2020
All the buzz about Betelgeuse going supernova started in 2019 when the star suddenly dropped to about 40% of its usual brightness before gradually returning to normal by early 2020. At first, many believed that Betelgeuse was about to explode, but this theory has been proven wrong. It turned out that the dimming effect was just caused by a cloud of dust, so Betelgeuse’s brightness drop was not due to changes inside the star itself. The star only appeared dimmer because we were looking through a cloud of dust expelled by the star.
Siwarha and Betelgeuse: why the supernova will have to wait
In July 2025, astronomers confirmed that Betelgeuse has a close companion star — and that discovery changes how we interpret Betelgeuse’s famous “mood swings”. The star’s periodic dimming and brightening aren’t a countdown to an imminent supernova. They’re largely the fingerprints of its small companion, Siwarha.
Siwarha is a low-mass star that circles Betelgeuse about once every 2,100 days. It moves through the red supergiant’s vast, extended outer atmosphere, and as it goes, it stirs up the gas behind it. Think of it like a boat cutting through water: Siwarha leaves a dense wake of disturbed material in its path. That wake can absorb and scatter some of Betelgeuse’s light, creating the long-term brightness variations that puzzled astronomers for years.
For years, astronomers observed that Betelgeuse’s brightness varies in a 2,170-day cycle, and this cycle was interpreted by some researchers as a possible sign that Betelgeuse was in the late stages of core carbon burning — a phase that would precede a supernova within a few centuries. But recent observations and modeling show that the cycle is best explained by binary interaction, not by an impending core collapse.
High-resolution imaging and long-term spectroscopy have now revealed signs of the companion’s impact, including evidence of disturbed gas in Betelgeuse’s atmosphere. These findings indicate that Betelgeuse is in a stable helium-burning phase, with likely hundreds of thousands of years left before it eventually becomes a supernova.
So yes — Betelgeuse will explode someday. But thanks to Siwarha, we have a much better explanation for its strange behavior, and a clearer message: the supernova will have to wait.
What would happen if Betelgeuse exploded?
Massive stars like Betelgeuse explode as Type II supernovae, collapsing rapidly and violently after they use up all their fuel. However, for it to pose a threat to the Earth, the supernova would need to occur within 160 light-years of us, and Betelgeuse is about four times that distance away. Still, a supernova could have unexpected effects on the Earth. For instance, many animals use the Moon for navigation and may be confused by an unusual light source. Even astronomers would face challenges. Observing the night sky is already difficult when the Moon is bright, and a Betelgeuse supernova would make it even harder.
But despite the challenges, a Betelgeuse supernova would be an incredible event to witness. The last time a nearby star went supernova was in 1604. While stars explode regularly in the universe, most are too far away to see without powerful telescopes. Betelgeuse would be the closest supernova ever observed by humans.
When Betelgeuse explodes, it will shine as brightly as the half-Moon for over three months. People would be able to see it in the daytime sky for about a year, and it would remain visible to the naked eye at night for several years as it gradually fades. Astronomers predict that we would receive advance warning of the explosion, with instruments on Earth detecting neutrinos (and possibly gravitational signals) hours in advance. Just imagine people all around the world staying up to watch Betelgeuse, eagerly awaiting the spectacular light show and cheering when it finally begins.
Betelgeuse: not yet a supernova, but still a celestial gem
Betelgeuse is a stunning orange-red star in Orion that you can easily spot with the naked eye. For years, its changing brightness fueled “supernova soon” speculation — but recent research suggests those variations are better explained by a close stellar companion. It’s a major breakthrough for astronomers, even if it’s a bit disappointing for skywatchers: Betelgeuse is not expected to explode anytime soon.
The upside is simple: we get more time to enjoy it. With its subtle flickers, immense size, and newly revealed companion, Betelgeuse remains one of the most captivating stars in the sky.
Want to find it fast? Use the user-friendly Star Walk 2 app, locate Betelgeuse, and take a moment to admire one of the most famous stars in the sky.
