Astronomers Observe a New Type of Binary Star Long Predicted to Exist [View all]

[Judi Lynn]

12.01.21

Researchers have predicted the new class of star’s existence for 50 years but until now, never observed it in space.



M.Weiss/Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

Cambridge, MA -- Researchers at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian have observed a new type of binary star that has long been theorized to exist. The discovery finally confirms how a rare type of star in the universe forms and evolves.

The new class of stars, described in this month's issue of the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, was discovered by postdoctoral fellow Kareem El-Badry using the Shane Telescope at Lick Observatory in California and data from several astronomical surveys.

"We have observed the first physical proof of a new population of transitional binary stars," says El-Badry. "This is exciting; it's a missing evolutionary link in binary star formation models that we've been looking for."

A New Type of Star

When a star dies, there’s a 97 percent chance it will become a white dwarf, a small dense object that has contracted and dimmed after burning through all its fuel.

More:
https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/news/astronomers-observe-new-type-binary-star-long-predicted-exist