Astronomers have discovered an extraordinary binary system, TMTS J0526, containing a small white dwarf star and a hot subdwarf star with an incredibly short orbital period of around 20 minutes. This system, located 2,760 light-years from Earth, provides evidence for the formation of tiny hot subdwarfs through the ejection of common envelopes. The discovery sheds light on the birth of such small subdwarf stars and could help explain their origins in the universe.
Astronomers have discovered an extraordinary binary star system, TMTS J0526, where a "dead star," or white dwarf, completes an orbit around its hot subdwarf companion in just 20.5 minutes, squeezing almost 72 years into one Earth day. This system, located 2,760 light-years away, is significant not only for its incredibly short orbital period but also for providing observational evidence for the formation of a tiny hot subdwarf via the ejection of a secondary common envelope. The discovery sheds light on the birth of such tiny subdwarf stars and the dynamics of binary star systems.
Astronomers have discovered a unique binary star system, TMTS J0526, where a white dwarf orbits a hot subdwarf star, compressing 72 Earth years into a single day. The system, located 2,760 light-years away, features a white dwarf rich in carbon and oxygen and a tiny subdwarf star completing an orbit every 20.5 minutes. This finding may shed light on the formation of such minuscule subdwarf stars and the process of white dwarf formation from sun-sized stars.
