The first white dwarf detected in a binary system

Photographs from the world's largest optical telescope reveal the remains of a dead star in the binary star system.

The white dwarf is the core that remains after a low- and medium-mass star consumes nuclear fuel and dies. The discovery of these special objects can provide an accurate understanding of the structure and evolution of our Sun-like stars.

The pulse of light emitted by white dwarfs is taken by HiPERCAM high-speed camera.(Photo: Phys).

Astronomers from the University of Sheffield, UK, on ​​March 16 in the journal Nature Astronomy, first discovered a white dwarf star inside a binary star system , also known as a binary star system , called is SDSS J115219.99 + 024814.4 , consisting of two companion stars orbiting each other and periodically obscuring one another when viewed from the Earth.

This white dwarf has about 0.325 times the mass of the Sun. It is primarily composed of helium, different from most conventional white dwarfs made up of carbon and oxygen. The cause may be due to the impact of the companion star, according to Dr. Steven Parsons, research leader from the University of Sheffield.

"We use binary star motions and eclipse phenomena to measure the mass and radius of the white dwarf star, helping to determine what constitutes it," Parsons explained. "Interestingly, the two stars in this binary system have interacted with each other in the past, leading to the transfer of matter between them."

The team captured the pulses of celestial light with a HiPERCAM high-speed camera mounted on the world's largest optical telescope Gran 10,4m (GTC). In the next phase, astronomers say they will continue to observe for additional pulses of light using the Hubble Space Telescope.