Tag

White Dwarf

All articles tagged with #white dwarf

science2 days ago•4 min saved

Black Hole Tears White Dwarf, Hinting at Hidden Intermediate-Mass BHs

Astronomers using China’s Einstein Probe spotted an extreme X-ray outburst (EP250702a) in a distant galaxy that models as an intermediate-mass black hole tearing apart a white dwarf, a finding supported by HKU simulations and follow-up observations. The event’s unusual timing and rapid evolution provide what researchers call the first direct evidence of this feeding process and could help uncover the long-m missing population of intermediate-mass black holes, with implications for multi-messenger astronomy.

via The Daily Galaxy|

#black-hole #ep250702a #intermediate-mass-black-hole

space1 month ago•2 min saved

Webb Zooms in on Helix Nebula: A Dying Star’s Dusty Curtain

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope captures a sharp close-up of the Helix Nebula, a planetary nebula about 650 light-years away formed when a Sun-like star shed its outer layers and left a white dwarf at its center; Webb’s infrared view reveals hot gas and cooler dust, illustrating how dying stars recycle heavier elements into the cosmos and seed future planets, with binary interactions potentially triggering novae.

via Futurism|

#cosmic-dust #helix-nebula #james-webb-space-telescope

space1 month ago•3 min saved

Novae Unveiled: Real-Time Interferometry Reveals Multi-Stage Ejections and Gamma Rays

Astronomers using the CHARA Array and other telescopes captured real-time images of two novae (V1674 Herculis and V1405 Cassiopeiae), revealing complex, multi-stage gas outflows and gamma-ray emissions—showing that nova explosions are not single blasts and linking surface nuclear processes to the geometry of ejected material and high-energy radiation.

via Futurism|

#binary-star #gamma-rays #interferometry

space1 month ago•26 min saved

Novae Unleash Dual Jets: High-Res Images Rewrite Stellar Explosions

High-resolution CHARA Array images of 2021 novae V1674 Herculis and V1405 Cassiopeiae reveal complex, jet-driven eruptions in binary white-dwarf systems, including perpendicular outflows and a delayed ejection likely tied to a common-envelope phase. The gamma-ray signals observed by NASA’s Fermi coincide with internal shocks in the debris, linking surface nuclear reactions to high-energy radiation and challenging the idea of novae as simple spherical shells. These findings, published in Nature Astronomy, position novae as natural laboratories for extreme physics.

via ZME Science|

#binary-system #gamma-rays #interferometry

space1 month ago•6 min saved

High‑Res Imaging Reveals Dual Ejecta in Nova Explosions

Scientists using the CHARA Array’s near-infrared interferometry captured high‑resolution images of two novae (V1674 Herculis and V1405 Cassiopeiae), showing non‑spherical, interacting ejecta and fast/slow evolution, with a gamma-ray connection that challenges the idea of a single impulsive explosion.

via WIRED|

#ejecta #gamma-rays #interferometry

space1 month ago•56 min saved

Rainbow bow shock around a nearby white-dwarf binary challenges stellar physics

Astronomers using the VLT have spotted a rainbow-colored bow shock around RXJ0528+2838, a white dwarf in a binary about 730 light-years away. The nebula, extending ~4,000 AU and at least 1,000 years old, surrounds a diskless system that is actively pulling material from its companion. Researchers believe an extremely strong magnetic field powers an unusual, outflow-like phenomenon—the so-called mysterious engine—without a traditional accretion disk, challenging current models of mass transfer in binary systems. The finding, published in Nature Astronomy, suggests more such systems may exist and could be studied in detail with the upcoming ELT set to go online by 2028.

via Live Science|

#binary-star #bow-shock #interstellar-medium

science1 month ago•3 min saved

NASA Achieves Historic Firsts in White Dwarf Star Observations

NASA's IXPE has captured detailed observations of the white dwarf star EX Hydrae, revealing new insights into its accretion process and magnetic field interactions, marking a significant advancement in high-energy astronomy.

via Indian Defence Review|

#ex-hydrae #ixpe #nasa

science1 month ago•2 min saved

NASA's IXPE Detects White Dwarf Star for the First Time

NASA's IXPE has for the first time used its X-ray polarization capabilities to study a white dwarf star, EX Hydrae, revealing details about the star's accretion process and magnetic field, which enhances understanding of energetic binary systems.

via NASA (.gov)|

#ex-hydrae #ixpe #nasa

gaming-and-hobbies2 months ago•2 min saved

500 Worlds: Titus Featured in First 2026 White Dwarf

The first White Dwarf of 2026, issue 520, offers an in-depth look at Warhammer 40,000's Titus and the Nightbringer, along with lore, miniatures design, new missions, and features on Nurgle-themed terrain and Age of Sigmar collections, with pre-orders available.

via Warhammer Community|

#gaming-and-hobbies #miniatures #nurgle

gaming2 months ago•1 min saved

Grotmas Day 21: Four Warhammer 40,000 Missions to Conquer

The Grotmas Calendar Day 21 features four Warhammer 40,000 missions from the White Dwarf Bunker, designed to add variety to holiday gaming sessions with friends and family, set against a backdrop of a war-torn planet in the 41st Millennium.

via Warhammer Community|

#festive-gaming #gaming #grotmas-calendar

science2 months ago•2 min saved

Upcoming Supernova Could Brighten Earth's Daytime Sky

A binary star system called V Sagittae, located about 10,000 light-years away, is on the verge of a supernova explosion due to a white dwarf star rapidly consuming its larger companion, which will be visible from Earth during the day. The system's extreme brightness and impending explosion have been studied using the Very Large Telescope, revealing a giant gas ring and signs of an imminent nova or supernova event. This rare cosmic event could reshape our understanding of stellar life cycles.

via Gizmodo|

#astronomy #binary-star-system #science

science3 months ago•3 min saved

Scientists Predict the Sun's Inevitable Demise

Astronomers observed a white dwarf star consuming the remains of a shattered planet, revealing insights into planetary system evolution and offering a glimpse of our own Solar System's distant future, with implications for understanding exoplanet composition and long-term planetary dynamics.

via ScienceAlert|

#astrochemistry #exoplanet #planetary-destruction

science3 months ago•8 min saved

James Webb Telescope Unveils the Mysteries of the Red Spider Nebula

The article discusses the recent JWST imaging of the Red Spider Nebula, highlighting its structure, the role of binary companions in shaping nebulae, and the advanced temperature and ionization features revealed by infrared observations, providing new insights into the lifecycle of Sun-like stars.

via Big Think|

#infrared-imaging #jwst #planetary-nebulae

science3 months ago•3 min saved

White Dwarf Consumes Planetary Remnants in Real Time

Scientists observed a white dwarf star, LSPM J0207+3331, actively consuming planetary debris, including a rocky body likely similar to Earth, revealing ongoing planetary system dynamics billions of years after star death and challenging traditional views of stellar remnants.

via The Daily Galaxy|

#dynamical-activity #planet-destruction #planetary-debris

science4 months ago•3 min saved

Ancient White Dwarf Continues Devouring Planetary Remnants, Baffling Scientists

Astronomers have observed a 'zombie' white dwarf star, LSPM J0207+3331, actively devouring remnants of a rocky planet after three billion years, challenging previous assumptions about the dormancy of such stars and suggesting planetary systems can remain unstable for eons.

via Indian Defence Review|

#astronomy #exoplanets #planetary-debris