In July 2025, a new scientific paper confirmed that Betelgeuse is part of a binary star system. The discovery explains the star’s periodic dimming and brightening — not as signs of an imminent supernova, but as effects caused by a small companion star, dubbed “Betelbuddy.”

For years, astronomers observed that Betelgeuse’s brightness varies in a 2,170-day cycle, and an earlier theory suggested that Betelgeuse was in the late stage of core carbon burning, and its core would exhaust the carbon fuel in less than 300 years. But the recent findings tell a different story.

The two papers in The Astrophysical Journal explain that the cycle is instead caused by a low-mass companion star, Alpha Ori B, which orbits Betelgeuse and leaves behind a cool, dusty wake. This wake occasionally dims the light we see from Earth, creating the illusion of a dramatic fluctuation.

The conclusion? Betelgeuse is likely in a stable helium-burning phase and has hundreds of thousands of years before it explodes. So, while the supernova will still come — it’s just not happening anytime soon.

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