Unprecedented Discovery: A Star Orbiting Within Another Star Revealed!

Binary star systems are fascinating pairs of stars that orbit each other, bound by gravity. They are more common than you might think, with over half of the stars in our galaxy belonging to such systems.

The stars in a binary system can differ greatly in size, mass, and brightness. Their gravitational interactions can lead to significant events. For example, one star can pull material from its partner, which might result in explosive phenomena like novae or even supernovae.

Understanding binary systems is important. They help us explore the lifecycle of stars and the behavior of matter under extreme conditions.

Recently, a team of astronomers from China made an exciting discovery. They found a rare pulsar in a binary system that occasionally gets its signals blocked by its companion star. Led by Han Jinlin from the National Astronomical Observatories of China, these findings were published in the journal Science.

Pulsars themselves aren’t rare; about 3,500 pulsars are known in our galaxy. These dense remnants are what remains of massive stars that exploded in supernova events. They emit beams of radiation from their magnetic poles. As they spin, these beams sweep across space, similar to how a lighthouse beam sweeps across the sea. When one of these beams hits Earth, we detect it as a pulse of radio waves or other types of radiation.

The discovery was made using the Five hundred meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST), often called the “China Sky Eye.” This is the largest single-dish radio telescope in the world. Located in Guizhou Province, it covers 500 meters and is made of over 4,400 adjustable panels. This design helps it detect faint signals from far away in the universe.

Since its operations began in January 2020, FAST has opened its doors to international researchers. Its objectives include studying pulsars, fast radio bursts, and searching for extraterrestrial signals.

The newly discovered pulsar, named PSR J1928+1815, is located 455 light-years from Earth. This system provides valuable insights into star formation and evolution. Specifically, it shows how a heavy star collapses into a neutron star or black hole while its companion star is stripped of material.

During a phase of their existence, both stars can orbit within a shared envelope of hydrogen gas. In the case of PSR J1928+1815, over around 1,000 years, the neutron star gradually clears the envelope, revealing a hot helium-burning star still orbiting it.

This discovery aligns with longstanding theories about mass exchange between stars in binary systems. By studying these interactions, scientists gain a better understanding of how stars evolve, how neutron stars behave, and even how these pairs might eventually merge to create gravitational waves.

As telescopes like FAST advance, researchers hope to uncover more of these unique cosmic pairs and further unravel the mysteries of the universe.

This article was originally published by Universe Today. Read the original article.

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