Touching Double Star System Spotted With ESO's Very Large Telescope

Posted on October 22, 2015

Astronomers using the ESO's Very Large Telescope have spotted the hottest and most massive known double star. The two stars in the system VFTS 352 are touching each other. Astronomers say the star could coalesce to form a giant star or form a binary black hole.

The stars orbit each in a little over a day. The centers of the stars are separated by 12 million kilometers. The surfaces of the stars overlap and a bridge has formed between them. VFTS 352 is the most massive known star system in the class known as overcontact binaries.

There are systems known as vampire stars where one star is sucking matter from the surface of its neighbor. The VFTS 352 is unusual because the stars are both of similar mass and some of the material is likely being shared between the two stars. The astronomers estimate that the stars are sharing about 30% of their material.

The study's lead author, Leonardo A. Almeida of the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, says in a statement, "The VFTS 352 is the best case yet found for a hot and massive double star that may show this kind of internal mixing. As such it's a fascinating and important discovery."

Here is an artist's animation of VFTS 325. Take a look:

SPACE