Puzzling Two-Faced Star: Hydrogen and Helium Sides Baffle Astronomers

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Source: The Guardian
Puzzling Two-Faced Star: Hydrogen and Helium Sides Baffle Astronomers
Photo: The Guardian
TL;DR Summary

Astronomers have discovered a two-faced white dwarf star, named Janus, with one side composed mostly of hydrogen and the other side made up of helium. This is the first time a lone star with such contrasting faces has been observed. The star's two-faced nature is difficult to explain, but one possibility is that it is undergoing a rare transition during white dwarf evolution. The scientists believe that an asymmetric magnetic field could be causing the transition to occur in a lopsided way. Further research is needed to understand this peculiar phenomenon.

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