Dead stars rich in carbon, and oxygen rush so fast that it one day equates to 72 Earth years
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| An illustration shows the TMTS J0526 binary star system. — Jingchuan Yu/Beijing Planetarium/File |
A "dead star," or white dwarf, races around its tiny, burning stellar partner in an incredible binary system that scientists have discovered at such speed that it compresses around 72 Earth years into a single day.
The system was found by a Tsinghua University team using the Tsinghua University-Ma Huateng Telescope for Survey (TMTS), and they dubbed it TMTS J0526. According to Space, it is located about 2,760 light-years from Earth.
TMTS J0526 is a white dwarf star with a mass of about 74% of the Sun that is rich in carbon and oxygen. It revolves around a hot subdwarf star that has a mass around one-third that of our star and is roughly seven times wider than Earth. It is one of the smallest stars ever seen and has a volume less than that of Jupiter, the gas giant planet.
The components of TMTS J0526 complete an orbit roughly every 20.5 minutes. This breaks the previous record for this type of binary system, albeit it is still not as good as HM Cancri, which contains two white dwarfs that complete an orbit every 5.4 minutes or so.
The components of TMTS J0526 complete an orbit roughly every 20.5 minutes. This breaks the previous record for this type of binary system, albeit it is still not as good as HM Cancri, which contains two white dwarfs that complete an orbit every 5.4 minutes or so.
However, because of its thin hydrogen atmosphere, the little star is still larger and more visible than its white dwarf companion. The tiny star can, however, be bent into an ellipsoid form by the white dwarf's intense gravitational force when the two rapidly orbit one another.
Moreover, the discovery of TMTS J0526 is remarkable not just for its remarkably short orbital period but also because it could shed light on the initial formation process of such tiny subdwarf stars.
Moreover, the discovery of TMTS J0526 is remarkable not just for its remarkably short orbital period but also because it could shed light on the initial formation process of such tiny subdwarf stars.
White dwarfs are created when sun-sized stars run out of hydrogen in their cores and are unable to continue to exist against the internal force of gravity.
This led to the collapse of the stellar core and the expansion of the outer layers of stars, where nuclear fusion was still taking place. First, the stars become red giants, and then they cool down to become white dwarfs surrounded by envelopes of gas and dust.
This led to the collapse of the stellar core and the expansion of the outer layers of stars, where nuclear fusion was still taking place. First, the stars become red giants, and then they cool down to become white dwarfs surrounded by envelopes of gas and dust.
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