Astronomers Discover Four New White Dwarfs in Solar Neighborhood
Ultraviolet observations and Hubble follow-up revealed four nearby white dwarfs, matching predictions of four to five hidden pairs.
- Utilizing the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers uncovered four white dwarf stars previously obscured by red dwarf companions within 65 light-years of Earth.
- Research Fellow Mairi Brien of the University of Warwick said the white dwarfs were found via "wobbles" in the motion of the stars they were hiding behind, as red dwarf glare obscured them in visible wavelengths.
- The four identified systems—G 203-47, GJ 207.1, LHS 1817, and Wolf 1130—exhibit significant radial wobbles, and the discovery aligns with population models predicting four to five such pairs should exist within 65 light-years of the Sun.
- Enigmatic system G 203-47 lacks tidal locking despite gravitational pull, and astronomer David Wilson of the University of Colorado Boulder noted its slow rotation is "unexpected" if it formed like similar systems.
- Researchers plan to utilize upcoming Gaia satellite data to identify more candidates, while Brien stated the team would like Hubble ultraviolet spectroscopy to confirm additional nearby binary systems.
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Astronomers Discover Four New White Dwarfs in Solar Neighborhood
Using near-UV spectroscopic data from the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) on the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers discovered four white dwarfs orbiting nearby red dwarf stars. The post Astronomers Discover Four New White Dwarfs in Solar Neighborhood appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.
For the first time, a team of researchers from the University of Warwick, in the United Kingdom, and Colorado Boulder, in the United States, have been able to directly observe four white dwarfs orbiting in double star systems within our nearest space region. These binary systems, true astronomical treasures, are all less than 65 light years from Earth. And, if that were not enough, one of them has just officially crowned as the ninth white dwarf…
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