Astronomers Capture First Direct Evidence of Massive Stars Forming a Binary System After Birth
Astronomers have observed the binary star system IRAS 07299-1651, located 5,300 light-years away, to confirm that its two massive stars did not form from the same collapsing gas cloud. Instead, the stars formed separately and later merged into a binary system approximately 60 years ago. This finding challenges the prevailing assumption that most binary stars originate from a single fragmented disk. The discovery was made using data from the ALMA radio telescope, the Very Large Array, and the James Webb Space Telescope over an eight-year observation period. The misalignment of the material disks surrounding the protostars provided the initial clue that their formation history differed from standard models.