From First Principles FFP EP. 2 | Hidden Star in Betelgeuse, Dancing Atoms, Ultra-High-Energy Cosmic Rays & VR Immunity
Aug 5, 2025
Discover the intriguing possibility of a hidden companion star orbiting Betelgeuse, explaining its brightness cycle. Uncover groundbreaking atomic-scale imaging techniques revealing thermal vibrations in 2D materials. Dive into the mysteries of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays and the IceCube detector's findings on particle origins. Explore how New Horizons validated interstellar navigation using star patterns. Finally, learn about an innovative VR study showing that visual stimuli can boost immune responses, linking sight to health in surprising ways.
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Hidden Companion Explains Long Cycle
- Betelgeuse is a red supergiant 700 light years away with multiple brightness cycles that reveal hidden dynamics.
- A six-year oscillation likely indicates a faint companion influencing the star's brightness pattern.
Speckle Imaging Reveals Tiny Companion
- Imaging a faint star next to Betelgeuse is like resolving two iPhone flashlights on the Empire State Building from Los Angeles.
- Speckle imaging with thousands of 14 ms exposures enabled resolving a 4% brightness companion at four AU.
Moiré Patterns Link Layers To New Physics
- Moiré patterns form when two 2D atomic lattices overlap with slight offsets and create long-range interference.
- Those long-range patterns make defects and collective motions visible across stacked 2D materials.