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Article: White dwarf in pas de deux: Cooler, slower.
- Article from:
- Science News
- Article date:
- June 3, 1995
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1995 Science Service, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Sometimes a youthful companion makes all the difference. Consider the elderly, shrunken star known as a white dwarf. Left alone, it slowly radiates heat away and eventually drops out of sight. But if it attracts a less mature partner, it won't fade away. Drawing fresh material from its companion, the dense star will refuel, generating recurrent fireworks bright enough to be visible to the naked eye from a distance of several million light-years.
Astronomers have known for decades about such dynamic duos, known as cataclysmic variables. But new findings suggest that a white dwarf locked in a gravitational embrace with a younger partner spins more slowly and has a much ...