Scientists Now Believe Betelgeuse Has Consumed a Companion Star Making it Look Like Pre Supernova
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Betelgeuse contains far more nitrogen in its outer atmosphere, which is a sign that its interior has been mixed recently and it's spinning far faster than other red supergiants: indicating that something happened to the star to spin it up.
Putting these pieces together, astronomers recently performed a systematic and careful analysis of the intriguing possibility that Betelgeuse did not start off as a single star, but is instead the product of a collision.
As the supergiant star aged, its atmosphere extended to the orbit of its companion. Scientists performed a simulation, that revealed the companion star's gravity funnelled that material onto itself, increasing its own mass. Eventually, the companion started swimming through so much material that this caused friction, slowing the companion and drawing it inward.
What happened next depended on a variety of factors including the speed of the companion, the stars' relative masses, and how much of the primary star's atmosphere had been extended. The influx of new material from the companion star disrupted the helium core, briefly returning the newly merged star to a hydrogen core fusing stage.
Simulations show, however, that this didn't last long, and the newborn Betelgeuse soon became a red supergiant again.
Unfortunately, direct evidence for this scenario won't be easily apparent until Betelgeuse explodes into a supernova. It would be fascinating if that happened in our lifetimes. Since we're far enough away to be unaffected, it's exciting to think about the sky glowing brightly, for weeks.
As for the when of it: that's a mystery that keeps us gazing up at the night sky with anticipation.
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