SKYCHART SEARCH FOR GAIA STAR PROFESSIONAL

The gravitational effects from the hot and superdense white dwarf are so strong that it has forced the companion star to swell up like a massive balloon and move towards it. “This really highlights the vital contribution that amateur astronomers make to cutting edge scientific research.” AM CVn systems consist of a small and hot white dwarf star which is devouring its larger companion. “It’s really cool that the first time that one of these systems was discovered to have one star completely eclipsing the other, that it was amateur astronomers who made the discovery and alerted us,” said Campbell. This is the first known AM CVn system where one star totally eclipses the other. The lack of hydrogen allowed them to classify Gaia14aae as a very rare type of system known as an AM Canum Venaticorum (AM CVn), a type of cataclysmic variable system where both stars have lost all of their hydrogen. Using spectroscopy from the William Herschel Telescope in the Canary Islands, Campbell and her colleagues found that Gaia14aae contains large amounts of helium, but no hydrogen, which is highly unusual as hydrogen is the most common element in the universe. It’s a fascinating system - there’s a lot to be learned from it.” “Because of this, we can measure the system with great precision in order to figure out what these systems are made of and how they evolved. Heather Campbell of Cambridge’s Institute of Astronomy, who led the follow-up campaign for Gaia14aae. “It’s rare to see a binary system so well-aligned” said Dr. The two stars are tightly orbiting each other, so a total eclipse occurs roughly every 50 minutes.

SKYCHART SEARCH FOR GAIA STAR PROFESSIONAL

It was discovered by the European Space Agency’s Gaia satellite in August 2014 when it suddenly became five times brighter over the course of a single day.Īstronomers led by the University of Cambridge analysed the information from Gaia and determined that the sudden outburst was due to the fact that the white dwarf - which is so dense that a teaspoonful of material from it would weigh as much as an elephant - is devouring its larger companion.Īdditional observations of the system made by the Center for Backyard Astrophysics (CBA), a collaboration of amateur and professional astronomers, found that the system is a rare eclipsing binary, where one star passes directly in front of the other, completely blocking it out when viewed from Earth. The system, named Gaia14aae, is located about 730 light-years away in the Draco constellation. Details of the new research was just published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. The system could also be an important laboratory for studying ultra-bright supernova explosions, which are a vital tool for measuring the expansion of the universe. It is a type of two-star system known as a cataclysmic variable, where one super dense white dwarf star is stealing gas from its companion star, effectively ‘cannibalising’ it. Image credit: Marisa Grove/Institute of Astronomy.An international team of researchers, with the assistance of amateur astronomers, have discovered a unique binary star system: the first known such system where one star completely eclipses the other. It consists of a super dense white dwarf star stealing gas from its companion star, effectively ‘cannibalising’ it. Artist’s impression of the eclipsing binary system Gaia14aae, located about 730 light years away in the constellation Draco.

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