Astronomers using the Gemini North telescope in Hawai‘i have directly imaged a long-suspected companion star orbiting Betelgeuse, one of the brightest and closest red supergiants in the night sky. The discovery, detailed in Astrophysical Journal Letters, ends a century-long hunt for the object thought to influence the star’s puzzling variations in brightness, including the dramatic “Great Dimming” event of 2019-20. The companion, informally dubbed “Betel-buddy” and likely to receive the formal designation α Orionis B, is roughly six magnitudes dimmer than Betelgeuse and has a mass estimated at about 1.5 to 1.6 times that of the Sun. Advanced speckle-imaging observations with the Alopeke instrument revealed the star orbiting at a distance of about four astronomical units—well inside Betelgeuse’s extended outer atmosphere. Lead researcher Steve Howell of NASA’s Ames Research Center said Gemini North’s 8.1-metre mirror and rapid-exposure technique were critical in resolving a companion many models predicted would remain undetectable. The pairing offers a rare laboratory for studying how massive stars evolve with close stellar partners; models suggest tidal drag will cause the smaller star to be engulfed within approximately 10,000 years. Astronomers plan further observations in November 2027, when the companion reaches maximum separation and can be studied in greater detail.