"Discovery of the Shortest-Orbit Binary Star System"

Astronomers using the Tsinghua University–Ma Huateng Telescopes for Survey (TMTS) have discovered an ultrashort-orbital-period binary system, TMTS J052610.43+593445.1, consisting of a subdwarf star and a white dwarf companion with an orbital period of about 20.5 minutes. Located 2,760 light years away, this system is one of the few known binaries with such a short period and is expected to provide insights into binary evolution, potentially leading to the formation of an AM CVn star through the helium-star channel after significant mass transfer in about 1.5 million years.