Astronomers are buzzing after observing the fastest nova ever recorded. The unusual event drew scientists' attention to an even more unusual star. As they study it, they may find answers to not only the nova's many baffling traits, but to larger questions about the chemistry of our solar system, the death of stars and the evolution of the universe.
The research team, led by Arizona State University Regents Professor Sumner Starrfield, Professor Charles Woodward from University of Minnesota and Research Scientist Mark Wagner from The Ohio State University, co-authored a report published today in theis a sudden explosion of bright light from a two-star system. Every nova is created by a white dwarf—the very dense leftover core of a star—and a nearby companion star.
"The most unusual thing is that this oscillation was seen before the outburst, but it was also evident when the nova was some 10 magnitudes brighter," says Wagner, who is also the head of science at the Large Binocular Telescope Observatory being used to observe the nova."A mystery that people are trying to wrestle with is what's driving this periodicity that you would see it over that range of brightness in the system.
A white dwarf collects and alters matter, then seasons the surrounding space with new material during a nova explosion. It's an important part of the cycle of matter in space. The materials ejected by novae will eventually form new stellar systems. Such events helped form our solar system as well, ensuring that Earth is more than a lump of carbon.
"Standard candles are so bright that we can see them at great distances across the universe. By looking at how the brightness of light changes, we can ask questions about how the universe is accelerating or about the overall three-dimensional structure of the universe," Woodward says."This is one of the interesting reasons that we study some of these systems."
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