Giant Star Betelgeuse May Have Devoured Sun-Size Companion

The huge, red star Betelgeuse, which marks the hunter's shoulder in the constellation Orion, may have swallowed up a companion star not long ago, a new study suggests. Betelgeuse is a "red supergiant" that will soon die in a supernova explosion. As the name of its stellar class indicates, Betelgeuse has bloated immensely as the end of its life has neared.