It could be the key to better understanding celestial bodies – and it’s also the hottest yet. The researchers write that in Article in Nature Astronomy.
By analyzing spectral data from the European Southern Observatory’s so-called Very Large Telescope in Chile, researchers were able to locate a stunning double star system 1,400 light-years from Earth.
rare system
The system consists of a white dwarf, which is the remnant of a star that has used up energy in its core, causing it to glow fainter than normal stars. In this case, 10,000 times weaker.
In addition, it consists of a brown dwarf that is neither a star nor a planet. It has a mass comparable to that of a gas giant like Jupiter and a young star. Therefore, it can also stay close to the host star.
What makes the system special is that the brown dwarf is very large compared to its host star.
Combined with the white dwarf’s faint luminosity, the newly discovered system is an astrophysicists’ dream. It gives us the opportunity to study the superheated Jupiter, also known as the brown dwarf WD0032-317B.
says Nima Halakoun, a Weizmann Institute postdoctoral fellow at the Weizmann Science Institute In a press release.
But WD0032-317B has more surprises. It is also the hottest of its kind to date.
Like our moon, superheated Jupiter is locked into position. This means that the same surface always points towards the star.
Therefore, it has a staggering 7,000 to 9,500 degrees Celsius on the “solar side”. The surface temperature of our Sun is just over 5,550 degrees Celsius. On the shadow side, the temperature ranges from 1,000 to 2,700 degrees Celsius.
In addition to providing unique insight into both extremely hot Jupiter and its rare binary star system, researchers can also study the effect of intense ultraviolet radiation on the system’s atmosphere.
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