Astronomers may have directly revealed Betelgeuse’s hidden stellar companion

ESO’s Very Large Telescope produced the clearest image yet of a suspected companion to Betelgeuse, potentially a two- to three-solar-mass star. The result is highly visual and short-form friendly, but future orbital-motion measurements are needed before the companion and its evolutionary implications are confirmed; JWST’s asymmetric WASP-17b atmosphere provides a separate astronomy explainer.