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When you look up at the sky, you mostly see stars shining and making the world a tad bit brighter just with their existence. We have all heard of stars falling, bursting and shining, but what if we told you they also collide with each other? Astronomers and researchers have been analysing a star system, V Sagittae for years. Located about 10,000 light-years away from Earth, it is home to two stars, one of which is a white dwarf, a dense, leftover core of a dead star and the other is a larger, still-burning star. Now, in a new study scientists have made an exciting discovery. They found that the white dwarf is gorging on its companion star at a speed never seen before, causing the system to shine unusually bright, as per livescience.com. This “feeding frenzy” is so intense that it might result in an explosion so powerful that it could be seen from the Earth, even in broad daylight.
Two stars set to create a supernova
This system has baffled scientists for over a century, it is now revealing some of its secrets. The white dwarf that was very dim earlier, is shining much brighter than expected. This is because it has been sucking material from its larger, brighter companion star. “V Sagittae is no ordinary star system-it’s brightest of its kind and has baffled experts since it was first discovered in 1902,” said Professor Phil Charles from the University of Southampton to PrimeTimer. The white dwarf is pulling in “material at a huge rate,” causing the material to build up on its surface. The process is so intense and strong that the material is turning into a thermonuclear reaction. “It’s a process so intense that it’s going thermonuclear on the white dwarf’s surface, shining like a beacon in the night sky,” added Professor Charles. This brightness could soon lead to an event visible from the Earth. The star system could explode into a nova, an incredibly bright explosion of energy. The two stars in the system are in a tight orbit, completing a full revolution around each other every 12.3 hours. This speed is extremely fast for a star system, and as they orbit each other, they are slowly pulling closer. Their interaction is being described as an “extra-terrestrial tango” due to the extreme forces at play.
What is a supernova?
A nova is a huge burst of energy caused by the white dwarf becoming overloaded with its companion’s material. While stellar, these explosions don’t destroy their white dwarfs. An average nova shines hundreds of thousands of times and can recur across thousands or millions of years. Eventually, when the two stars get close, they will collide, creating an even more powerful explosion when they smash into each other, a supernova. This supernova will be so bright that it will be visible even during daytime in extreme sunlight.
When is this happening?
Scientists believe this explosion could happen soon, possibly within the “coming years.” According to a 2020 study from Louisiana State University, this could occur as early as 2067. So keep an eye on Sagittae for a nova and mark your calendars for a supernova that will mark the end of our universe’s most enigmatic star systems.
