Direct imaging has revealed strong evidence that Betelgeuse is orbited by a companion two to three times as massive as the Sun.

For generations, Betelgeuse has appeared to the naked eye as a single reddish point in the constellation Orion. Now astronomers have obtained their strongest evidence yet that the famous star has company.

Using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT), a team led by French astronomer Miguel Montargès captured the clearest image so far of what is likely Betelgeuse B, a star orbiting the red supergiant. “This is the conclusion of a century-long quest,” says Montargès.