All articles tagged with #stellar merger
Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope discovered that a seemingly ordinary white dwarf star, WD 0525+526, was actually formed from a violent stellar merger, revealing that many white dwarfs may have tumultuous pasts hidden from visible light observations.
Astronomers using Hubble have discovered an ultra-massive white dwarf formed from a stellar merger, revealed by its ultraviolet spectrum showing carbon in its atmosphere, suggesting such merger remnants may be more common than previously thought.
A new discovery of the star Blue Lurker, which is rapidly consuming stars due to a past stellar merger involving a triple star system, challenges existing models of stellar formation and highlights the importance of triple systems in cosmic evolution, prompting further research into enigmatic stars across the universe.
A bizarre binary star system, HD 148937, located 3,800 light-years away, contains two massive stars, one of which is the brightest and hottest known to have a magnetic field. Despite the conventional understanding that massive stars should not have magnetic fields, about 7% of them do. Recent observations suggest that the magnetic field in HD 148937's star was acquired through a violent merger with another star, leading to the creation of a bipolar nebula and shedding light on the origin of magnetic fields in massive stars.
Astronomers have unraveled the mystery of the "Dragon's Egg" nebula, discovering that the magnetic field in one of the stars within it was likely created through a violent merger with a smaller sibling star. This finding explains the presence of magnetic fields in relatively few massive stars and sheds light on the complex physics and chemistry at play in the nebula. The stunning cloud of gas and dust, located in the Milky Way galaxy, is a result of a recent cosmic event and provides valuable insights into the formation and evolution of massive stars.
Astronomers studying the beautiful nebula NGC 6164/6165, also known as the Dragon's Egg, have discovered a violent history behind the stellar pair HD 148937 at its center. New data from the European Southern Observatory (ESO) suggests that the system originally had three stars, with two of them merging in a violent clash, creating the surrounding nebula and altering the system's fate. This discovery also provides direct evidence of how massive stars can acquire magnetic fields through mergers, solving a long-standing mystery in astronomy.
In 2009, a massive star known as N6946-BH1 underwent a period of brightening, leading astronomers to believe it was about to explode into a supernova. However, it faded instead of exploding, and subsequent observations couldn't detect the star. A new study using data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has revealed a bright infrared source consistent with material ejected from the star during its rapid brightening. Surprisingly, the study also found three remnant objects instead of one, suggesting a stellar merger rather than a failed supernova. This discovery complicates our understanding of supernovae and the formation of stellar-mass black holes. Further observations will help distinguish between stellar mergers and true failed supernovae, shedding light on the final stages of stars becoming black holes.
Astronomers have used the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to study the mysterious disappearance of a massive star known as N6946-BH1. Previous observations suggested that the star had collapsed into a black hole rather than exploding into a supernova. However, new data from JWST's NIRCam and MIRI instruments reveal a bright infrared source consistent with material ejected from the star during a rapid brightening phase. Surprisingly, the study also identifies three remnant objects, indicating a possible stellar merger rather than a failed supernova. This discovery complicates our understanding of supernovae and the formation of stellar-mass black holes. Further observations will help distinguish between stellar mergers and true failed supernovae, shedding light on the final stages of massive stars.
The giant planet Halla has defied the odds by surviving the engulfment of its dying star, Baekdu. Scientists propose that Baekdu may have formed from the merger of two stars, preventing it from growing large enough to swallow Halla. Alternatively, Halla could be a newborn planet that formed from the debris of the stellar merger. However, Halla's survival is temporary, as Baekdu is expected to expand again in the future. This discovery suggests the existence of other death-defying planets in the galaxy and calls for further research on star-planet interactions and stellar mergers.