Articles tagged with Binary Stars
Astronomers at the University of Hawaii have discovered a binary star-disk system with two stars surrounded by dust disks capable of forming planetary systems. The system, 253-1536, is the first known example of two optically visible stars with enough mass to form an Earth-like planet.
The study uses radio telescope images to confirm the presence of a rotating molecular disk orbiting the young binary star system V4046 Sagittarii. The discovery expands the number of places to look for extrasolar planets, suggesting that planet formation may occur around double stars as easily as single stars.
Astronomers from Queen's University Belfast have proposed a new physical interpretation of the 2008 supernova SN2008ha, suggesting it could be from a massive star. The team, led by Dr. Stefano Valenti, found a weak explosion with unusual properties that differ from those associated with white dwarf stars.
A deep Chandra X-ray image has resolved a long-standing mystery about an X-ray glow along the plane of the Galaxy. The image reveals hundreds of point-like X-ray sources causing the glow, implying millions of such sources are responsible.
A new study published in Science resolves the mystery of how massive stars can form without blowing away the gas and dust that feed their growth. The research found that instabilities develop in the collapsing gas cloud, creating channels where radiation blows out into space while gas continues to fall inward.
Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have found a way for massive stars to grow despite radiation pressure that should prevent it. Gravitational instabilities cause companion stars to form around massive stars, allowing them to feed on gas and dust.
A team of scientists discovered that blue stragglers, massive rogue stars found in globular clusters, are formed through a process known as stellar cannibalism. This theory is supported by observations of over 50 globular clusters and suggests that binary star systems play a key role in the formation of these stars.
Researchers found that blue stragglers are the result of 'stellar cannibalism' where plasma is gradually pulled from one star to another to form a massive, unusually hot star. This process takes place in binary stars and helps resolve a long-standing mystery in stellar evolution.
Researchers have captured a rare binary star explosion inside a planetary nebula, offering new insights into stellar evolution. The study predicts that the combined mass of the two stars could lead to a larger supernova explosion.
Papers in this special issue cover data analysis and investigations of the Double Star Program, as well as CMEs, Solar wind, and magnetosphere topics. The conference brought together prominent researchers, including Z.X.LIU and S.T. WU, to share their latest findings on solar and magnetospheric physics.
Astronomers have discovered identical twin stars that formed at different times, challenging current star-formation theories. The analysis reveals significant differences in brightness, surface temperature, and possibly size between the two stars, with one being about 2x brighter and 300 degrees hotter than its twin.
Researchers using Chandra X-ray Observatory data have reported a possible detection of a binary star system that was later destroyed in a supernova explosion. The new method provides great promise for finding the detailed origin of these cosmic events.
Astronomers have discovered a rare type of star system containing a black hole that suddenly began glowing brightly with X-rays. The system, dubbed CXOU J132518.2-430304, is thought to be a binary star system where one star collapsed to form a black hole.
Astronomers have found an exceptionally massive black hole in orbit around a huge companion star in the nearby galaxy M33, with a mass of 15.7 times that of the Sun. The discovery raises questions about how such a big black hole could have formed.
Scientists have found a third type of substorm onset using data from ESA's Cluster satellites and CNSA's Double Star mission. This discovery challenges existing theories about magnetic substorms and their effects on the aurora and GPS signals.
Astronomers have determined the properties of a rare binary star system using NASA's FUSE satellite and ground-based telescopes. The system, LH54-425, consists of two massive O-stars with combined mass of about 100 suns, orbiting each other every 2.25 days.
Astronomers have observed Z Cam binary system exhibiting a massive shell of gas and dust surrounding the white dwarf, indicating a classical nova explosion. The discovery supports a 20-year-old theory suggesting double-star systems cycle between blast types.
Researchers found that at least two objects in the Quintuplet Cluster are binary pairs forming pinwheel stars that live fast and die young. These 'Wolf-Rayet colliding-wind binaries' emit enormous amounts of radiation, with each quintuplet outshining the Sun by 10,000 to 100,000 times.
Researchers have solved the mystery of Quintuplet stars by identifying them as young massive binary stars producing large amounts of dust. The study captures the stars just before disintegrating in supernovae explosions, revealing a unique pinwheel nebulae around each star.
The MAGIC team discovered variable gamma-ray emission from microquasar LS I +61 303, revealing a direct relationship between the stars' interplay and gamma-ray production. The findings suggest that gamma-ray emission could be a common property of microquasars, contradicting previous expectations.
Researchers monitored RS Oph's unprecedented detail using space- and ground-based telescopes, estimating gas expelled at 10 million km/h and a size larger than our solar system. The study sheds new light on super stellar explosions and helps predict the red giant's lifespan before becoming a white dwarf.
A team of astronomers reports the discovery of two young brown dwarfs in mutual orbit, allowing for the direct measurement of their radii and masses. The findings provide valuable insights into the physical properties of brown dwarfs, shedding light on their size, mass, and evolutionary pathways.
Researchers from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory conclude that competitive accretion cannot explain observed star-forming regions. The new model, which favors gravitational collapse, accurately predicts the formation of massive stars and heavy elements in supernovae. Turbulence opposes gravity, preventing rapid core collapse.
Researchers reject competitive accretion model, which predicts stars form through gas accretion, in favor of gravitational collapse and fragmentation theory. The new model shows turbulence hinders accretion, resulting in stable core mass, contradicting observations of brown dwarfs with planetary disks.
Researchers used FUSE data to detect spectrum of ultraviolet light in region with no star, revealing light scattering from dust near bright star. The team hopes to use high spectral resolution to study diffuse background radiation and understand the nature of interstellar dust.
Astronomers discovered a dense stellar graveyard with thousands of X-ray sources within 70 light years of the Milky Way's center. The discovery supports the idea that dynamical friction could create a massive population of stellar-mass black holes.
Researchers have discovered FK Comae Berenices, a rare fast-rotating yellow giant with high levels of coronal magnetic activity. The star's rotation is roughly 200 miles per second, making it an 'extreme case' of sun-like magnetic activity.
A new discovery by Pilar Ruiz-Lapuente and colleagues identifies a clear path for Type Ia supernovae to form in binary star systems. The research found that the companion star is similar to our sun, but slightly older and with high heavy-element content, supporting the theory that Type Ia supernovae originate from these systems.
Astronomer Steve van Straaten discovered a binary star with a vibrational frequency of 1330 Hz, the highest ever recorded. This finding allows researchers to develop new models for movement in the vicinity of a neutron star.
Researchers studied two binary star systems, predicting regular flare cycles similar to the Sun's magnetic cycle. The team used continuous monitoring of radio waves to discover patterns in flare strength, indicating active and inactive cycles every 50-120 days.
Researchers observed mass-losing stars in cataclysmic variables and found most secondary stars lack carbon and other elements. The unusual abundance patterns suggest stellar material formed through CNO burning, a process thought to occur in high-mass stars.
Astronomers have identified a new type of star in a compact binary system, exhibiting properties similar to brown dwarf stars. The discovery sheds light on the formation and evolution of extra-solar planets, which are often found close to their host stars.
Researchers from Ohio State University have successfully measured the mass of a gravitational microlens in a dim binary star system 6,500 light-years away. This technique could be used to detect dark matter within our galaxy and help explain the missing mass of the universe.
Research suggests that brown dwarfs don't require special conditions to form, but rather are ejected from multiple-star systems due to gravitational interactions. This process affects their growth and ultimately determines their fate as either a normal star or a brown dwarf.
Frank Shu, a renowned expert in theoretical astrophysics and star formation, received the Dannie Heinemann Prize for his groundbreaking research on various topics including spiral structure, stellar dynamics, and planetary rings. The award recognizes his significant contributions to the field of astrophysics.
Astronomers have directly detected a new type of stellar flare on the binary system HR 1099, challenging current models and providing insight into flare physics. The flares were observed in a narrow temperature range of gas on the star, distinct from the hot gas that emits X-rays.
A rapidly spinning neutron star can naturally produce a Gamma-ray burst by oscillating and radiating its rotation energy. The spin-down process is triggered by the gravitational wave instability, which grows explosively in hours or minutes, strengthening the magnetic field and eventually radiating away all remaining rotation energy.
A rapidly spinning neutron star, SAX J1808.4-3658, is providing proof for the theory that millisecond pulsars are propelled to mind-boggling speeds by accretion of material from a companion star. This discovery fills an important niche in our understanding of star evolution.
A team of astronomers from the University of Florida and Harvard University have discovered a star surrounded by a disk of dust that may be forming planets. The disk, known as HR 4796A, is about 220 light years from Earth and is thought to represent what Earth's solar system looked like in its infancy.
Astrophysicists have discovered rapid oscillations in neutron star brightness, which may confirm a unique effect of curved space-time predicted by Einstein's theory. The data was obtained using NASA's Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer satellite.
A NASA scientist has found a new puzzle in the sky, an X-ray pulsar that appears to burst twice every 'year' rather than once. Colleen Wilson discovered GRO J2058+42, which has no visible component and exhibits unusual behavior, suggesting it may be a binary star system with a type Be star and a neutron star in a lopsided orbit.
Researchers found that accreting pulsars exhibit strange behavior, including gaining and losing time, due to mass transfer from stellar companions. This phenomenon is caused by the negative torque experienced by the pulsar, which affects its spin rate.
Astronomers have discovered eta Carinae, a bright stellar object in the Milky Way, to be the most massive binary star system ever known. The two stars, each weighing about 70 times that of the sun, orbit each other every 5.5 years, causing predictable spectral changes.
Astronomers have detected the 'frame-dragging' effect, a prediction by Albert Einstein 80 years ago, in disks of gas swirling around black holes. The team used X-ray astronomy satellites to measure the precession of accretion disks, finding evidence of frame dragging in two black hole systems.
Astronomers have found powerful accelerators of material close to home, in our own galactic neighborhood, as nearby black holes with jets. The jets appear to move at velocities approaching the speed of light and are thought to be connected to the accretion disk and surrounding regions.
Researchers calculate neutron star's mass by measuring X-ray pulses from innermost orbit, revealing a massive star about twice the sun's mass. The findings provide new insights into the birth and evolution of neutron stars.
Astronomers, led by Professor Patterson, use digital cameras and computers to record binary star variations. This allows for continuous monitoring of stars across the globe, providing valuable data to aid in understanding celestial mechanics.
Astronomers have discovered a 45-day cycle of radiation surges from V1159 Ori, a cataclysmic variable system. The energy release is due to hydrogen buildup around the white dwarf triggering a massive dump of material, resulting in an enormous energy surge.
Astronomers have discovered a binary system featuring a dead white dwarf star orbiting an exotic neutron star with a mass 1.5 times that of the Sun. The neutron star's intense gravity is slowly consuming its companion, causing peaks in ultraviolet radiation every 11 minutes.