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VLT identifies white dwarfs with record orbiting speeds

22 April 2002

Two white dwarf stars have entered the record books with the fastest orbital period known for any stellar system. It takes just 5 min for these two Earth-sized stars to orbit each other – that’s 100,000 times faster than the Earth orbits the Sun. The stars exist in a rarely seen transitory state; with time, their orbit will slow considerably.

White dwarfs are normal stars that are slowly running out of energy as they reach the end of their lives – our Sun will eventually become one.

The pair was identified by the Chandra X-ray telescope as a variable X-ray source, with the emission cutting off every 5 min. At the time, it was not clear what was behind this variation.

Now, VLT observations have revealed a pair of white dwarfs and the spectral lines of ionized helium show a hot spot on the surface of one of the stars at a temperature of around 250,000 °C where X-rays are emitted. With such a short orbital period, the system is a prime candidate for gravitational wave observations.

Israel et al. To be published in Astronomy & Astrophysics Letters.

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