![]() The researchers then learned that the system is so compact, the stars - which individually weigh a little less than the Sun - complete one full orbit in just 4 hours. This was when the biggest surprise was revealed," remarks Romano Corradi, a researcher from the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, who contributed to the study. " Further observations made with telescopes in the Canary Islands allowed us to determine the orbit of the two stars and deduce both the masses of the two stars and their separation. That wasn't the only thing we ultimately learned. This observation finally confirmed that, indeed, as some astronomers previously suggested, binary systems do create the oddly-structured nebulae like Henize 2-428. "When we looked at this object's central star with ESO's Very Large Telescope, we found not just one but a pair of stars at the heart of this strangely lopsided glowing cloud," notes Henri Boffin from the European Southern Observatory (ESO), who co-authored the study. To do that, they examined one particular planetary nebula, called Henize 2-428. This pair certainly follows in that tradition they were found when researchers were trying to ascertain why certain stars that are nearing the end of their lifespan generate such asymmetrical nebulae. In the world of cosmology, it's not unusual for astronomers to go looking for one thing, only to happen upon something else entirely. This particular pair have a combined mass of 1.8 Suns, which makes them the most massive white dwarf pair found to date - so massive, in fact, that when they inevitably converge, astronomers expect that they will incite a type Ia supernovaexplosion. Now, researchers from Madrid have come across an ill-fated star system comprised of two white dwarfs - incredibly dense, compact objects that are roughly the same size as Earth, but with the Sun's mass - that are destined to merge. ![]() We've encountered many planetary systems that aren't quite so serene: distant reaches of space where multiple planets lurk within close proximity to multiple stars systems in which stars and planets are nearly the same size and objects that are so intimately entangledwith a black hole's gravitational pull, they are slowly being ripped apart. The inner planets silently circle the Sun, tracing the same path over and over again, while the environment in the outer solar system is much more chaotic among the major planets are an extraordinarily diverse array of orbiting satellites, effectively making each planet a miniature solar system. Calçada)īy most accounts, our solar system is pretty harmonious. Artist rendering of a type 1a supernova blast (Image Credit: ESO/L. ![]()
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