Space
A white dwarf star orbiting a sun-like star was thought to be impossibly small, but now astronomers have found another star in the system that solves the puzzle
By Jonathan O’Callaghan
A white dwarf acts as a lens for the light of the star behind it
NASA/JPL-Caltech
The mystery of a star that seemed too small to exist has been solved – by the detection of another star hiding in the same system.
In 2019, astronomers announced the discovery of an unusual system called KIC 8145411 in which a white dwarf – the dull, compact remnant left behind after certain stars exhaust their nuclear fuel – was orbiting a sun-like star every 450 days. The system is a rare example of a self-lensing binary,…
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