Tag

Stellar Evolution

All articles tagged with #stellar evolution

space-and-spaceflight1 month ago•16 min saved

Astronomers Spot the Tiniest Packed Quadruple Star System

Using NASA’s TESS data from 2019–2024, astronomers identified TIC 120362137 as the most compact 3+1 quadruple star system: an eclipsing binary eclipsed by a third star, plus a distant fourth star with a 1,045.5‑day orbit—the shortest outer period observed in such a configuration. The inner three stars are packed within Mercury’s orbital distance while the outer companion sits near Jupiter’s orbit. The team’s models suggest the inner trio will merge into a white dwarf in ~300 million years, leaving a double white-dwarf system with a ~44‑day orbit.

via Gizmodo|

#binary-stars #quadruple-star-system #space-and-spaceflight

astronomy1 month ago•55 min saved

Record-breaking four-star system packs inner trio inside Mercury’s orbit

Astronomers using NASA’s TESS have found TIC 120362137, the most compact known 3+1 quadruple star system: a tightly bound inner triple is orbited by a distant fourth star, with the outer companion about the distance of Jupiter from the Sun, while the inner trio would fit inside Mercury’s orbit. This rare architecture helps scientists study how such systems form and stay stable, and simulations predict the system will eventually merge into two white dwarfs in a ~44-day orbit, a scenario described in Nature.

via Space|

#31-star-system #astronomy #quadruple-star-system

science1 month ago•2 min saved

Giant Star Turns Yellow, Hinting at a Possible Supernova

Astronomers monitoring the red supergiant WOH G64 in the Large Magellanic Cloud report a rapid evolution into a yellow hypergiant, with a temperature rise of about 1,000 C and significant shrinking. This rare color and size change may signal an impending supernova, though researchers offer two possible explanations—binary interaction with a companion or a prior eruptive episode—and the star’s exact fate remains uncertain.

via Gizmodo|

#astronomy #binary-star #cosmic-changes

science3 months ago•5 min saved

Astronomers Potentially Detect First-Ever 'Superkilonova' Explosion

Astronomers may have observed the first superkilonova, a hybrid explosion involving both a supernova and a kilonova, suggesting new insights into star death and heavy element formation, though confirmation is pending.

via Indian Defence Review|

#cosmic-transients #gravitational-waves #neutron-stars

science3 months ago•6 min saved

Old Stars Reveal Clues About Axions as Dark Matter Candidates

Researchers used archival Hubble data to test axion models by examining white dwarf cooling rates, but found no evidence for axions, setting new constraints on their interaction with electrons and highlighting the need for more innovative detection methods.

via Space|

#axions #cosmic-particles #dark-matter

science3 months ago•4 min saved

Stars Consuming Planets Reveal Earth's Future

Scientists using TESS data have observed that planets are becoming rarer around aging stars, likely due to the stars' expansion and tidal forces that cause planets to decay or be engulfed, providing insights into the future fate of our solar system.

via Space|

#exoplanets #planetary-systems #science

science5 months ago•5 min saved

Scientists Uncover Explanation for 'Impossible' Black Hole Mergers

Scientists have explained the 'impossible' merger of massive, rapidly spinning black holes by considering the role of magnetic fields in the evolution of progenitor stars, revealing that magnetic forces can influence black hole mass and spin, and potentially produce black holes within the mass gap observed in previous theories.

via Space|

#black-holes #gravitational-waves #magnetic-fields

science5 months ago•2 min saved

Scientists Capture Early Moments of a Supernova Explosion

Astronomers captured the earliest image of a supernova, SN 2024ggi, just 26 hours after explosion using ESO's VLT, revealing its olive-shaped geometry and providing new insights into the explosion mechanics of massive stars.

via Gizmodo|

#astronomy #eso #science

science5 months ago•4 min saved

Scientists Capture First Detailed Images of a Star's Supernova Explosion

Scientists captured the first detailed observation of a supernova shockwave breaking through a star's surface, revealing a surprisingly symmetrical explosion, which provides new insights into the mechanisms driving such cosmic events.

via Space|

#astronomy #science #shockwave

science5 months ago•2 min saved

Scientists Unveil Explanation for 'Impossible' Black Hole Mergers

In 2023, astronomers observed a black hole merger that defied existing physics, involving black holes within a forbidden mass range and spinning at near light speed. New simulations incorporating magnetic fields reveal that these fields can eject mass during a star's collapse, producing lighter, fast-spinning black holes and potentially observable gamma-ray bursts, offering insights into these 'impossible' black holes.

via Universe Today|

#black-holes #gamma-ray-bursts #gravitational-waves

science5 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

science5 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

science5 months ago•1 min saved

James Webb Telescope Unveils Spooky Secrets of the Red Spider Nebula

The James Webb Space Telescope captured a detailed image of the Red Spider Nebula, showcasing the complex gas and dust structures from a dying star, offering insights into the future of our own sun as it becomes a red giant billions of years from now.

via Live Science|

#cosmic-imagery #james-webb-telescope #planetary-nebula

science5 months ago•2 min saved

James Webb Telescope Unveils New Secrets of the Red Spider Nebula

New images from the James Webb Space Telescope reveal unprecedented details of the Red Spider Nebula, including its sprawling lobes, a glowing core, and signs of a hidden companion star, providing insights into the final stages of stellar evolution.

via ScienceAlert|

#james-webb-space-telescope #ngc-6537 #planetary-nebula

science5 months ago•4 min saved

Webb Telescope Unveils New Details of the Red Spider Nebula

The James Webb Space Telescope captured a detailed infrared image of the Red Spider Nebula, revealing its hourglass shape, long gas lobes, and potential double star system at its core, showcasing the aftermath of a star shedding its outer layers as it transitions into a red giant.

via Space|

#infrared-imaging #james-webb-space-telescope #nebula-shape