Mysterious Object Orbits Star at Unprecedented Speeds.

An ultra-hot celestial body called WD0032-317B, which is a brown dwarf, is orbiting a white dwarf star at breakneck speed. It is superheated on one side, with a temperature of 13,900 F, while the other side is a comparatively balmy 1,900 to 4,900 F. This is the most extreme temperature differential astronomers have measured on a substellar object. Research on objects like WD0032-317B could help scientists understand how hot stars slowly consume their companions and add to the growing body of knowledge around the conditions that stars need to ignite.