One side of a newly-discovered white dwarf star, dubbed Janus after the two-faced Roman god of transition, is composed of helium and the other of hydrogen.
"The surface of the white dwarf completely changes from one side to the other," explained Ilaria Caiazzo, a postdoctoral scholar at Caltech who led the new study. "When I show the observations to people, they are blown away."
The follow-up observations showed that Janus is rotating on its axis every 15 minutes. Further observations using the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawai'i then revealed the unusual twin faces of the white dwarf. Using a spectrometer, the team revealed the presence of hydrogen on one side and only helium on the other side.The team behind the discovery acknowledged that they don't know the cause behind this never-before-seen phenomenon, though they have provided a few hypotheses.
As a white dwarf cools over time, the hydrogen on its surface sometimes mixes into the star's interior and helium becomes more prevalent. Magnetic fields may be causing this evolution to take place on one side more than the other.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Two-faced star seems to have one hydrogen side and one helium sideA strange star more than 1300 light years away appears to have two sides with completely different compositions, and astronomers aren’t sure how it ended up that way
Read more »
One person dead, one in custody after shooting in Highlands RanchOne person is dead after a Tuesday morning shooting at a house in Highlands Ranch, and authorities have taken one person into custody.
Read more »
The Royal Family’s Favorite Foods Are Surprisingly RelatableWhile in their early days of dating, William and Kate were “regular customers” at Ansthruther Fish Bar, where they ordered takeaway haddock wrapped in paper, “which they ate on a bench on the pier before going back for ice cream.”
Read more »
Evidence of Roman-era 'death magic' used to speak with the deceased found near JerusalemResearchers think the morbid practice originated with pagan people who settled in the region after the Romans drove out the Jews.
Read more »
Tourist caught vandalizing Roman Colosseum for second time in less than a monthFor the second time in less than a month, a tourist was recorded while defacing the Roman Colosseum.
Read more »