A white dwarf star was spotted feeding off a companion star before the feasting star exploded. Astronomers found that the zombie white dwarf star had been feeding off of helium-rich material from its fellow star.
Astronomers found that the zombie white dwarf star had been feeding off of helium-rich material from its fellow star, with the material it was eating leading to its downfall. This type of star is known as a Type Ia supernova, and is designated as supernova SN 2020eyj.The star was first discovered by the Zwicky Transient Facility camera on Palomar mountain, which was then followed up with the Nordic Optical telescope on La Palma, Spain and the large Keck telescope in Hawaii, according to Space.
"Once we saw the signatures of strong interaction with the material from the companion, we tried to also detect it in radio emission," said research lead author Erik Kool in a statement."The detection in radio [waves] is the first one of a Type Ia supernova — something astronomers have tried to do for decades."
Zombie white dwarf fed on neighbor star until bursting in a thermonuclear explosion https://t.co/QFOuGLvVSM pic.twitter.com/leZakLuQsPThe strong signatures of helium detected from the exploding system have led the team behind the discovery to theorize the companion star had been rich in helium. Additionally, the team found that the companion star had been mostly drained of its material before the white dwarf star exploded.
Type Ia supernovas are known to emit a standard light, and astronomers refer to them as"standard candles." As such, the light from Type Ia supernovas has been used as a measuring stick of sorts that allows researchers to measure both the distance from Earth to a supernova and the rate at which the universe is expanding.
It is still unclear how Type Ia supernovas come about, though the theory among researchers is that Type Ia supernovas are triggered when a compact white dwarf star feeds on too much matter from a companion star.
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