Astronomers found a hot, massive star being flung around by something they couldn't see.
Sandeep K S
Jan 14
1 min read
An illustration of the binary star system J0658 highlights its massive hot subdwarf primary star and a mysterious, unseen companion. The two stars orbit each other every 0.32 days. The companion might be a white dwarf, leading to a Type Ia supernova or a double white dwarf merger, or a neutron star, potentially forming a binary pulsar system. Further observations are required to uncover the companion's identity and the system's evolutionary path.
Scientists have uncovered the first robust evidence of a black hole and neutron star crashing together while orbiting in an oval path, challenging long-standing assumptions about cosmic pair formation.
Most neutron star-black hole pairs are expected to adopt circular orbits long before merging, their orbits slowly rounded out by the constant emission of gravitational waves over millions of years.
Far from the warmth of any star, moons orbiting rogue gas giants might harbor oceans of liquid water—and potentially complex life—for billions of years.
Liquid water is considered essential for life. Surprisingly, however, stable conditions that are conducive to life could exist far from any sun.
Look up on a clear night and you'll see the streaks of our modern satellite networks. What you don't see is the growing fallout for the atmosphere that keeps us alive.
A wave of satellite launches and reentries is changing the chemistry and physics of the middle and upper atmosphere. Studies warn of ozone depletion, stratospheric heating, and new metal aerosols from burning spacecraft.
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