Einstein probe spots a mysterious pair of "vampire stars"

The Einstein Probe has detected powerful X-ray light from the explosion of a new star on a white dwarf. This mysterious pair of "vampire stars" has attracted the attention of astronomers.

According to the researchers, this new star is extraordinary because the white dwarf on which it was discovered exists in a particularly unusual double star system, namely in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), which is a neighboring satellite of our Milky Way galaxy, Space.com writes.

"We were chasing fleeting sources, when we came across this new spot of X-ray light in the SMC. We realized that we were looking at something unusual, [something] that only Einstein Probe could catch," said Alessio Marino, an expert from the Institute of Space Sciences in Spain.

According to experts, the Einstein Probe was launched in January 2024 to study the Universe at high energies. Among its instruments is the Wide-field X-ray Telescope (WXT), which is the only one of its kind currently in orbit.

Einstein's probe can detect lower energy X-rays with enough sensitivity to pinpoint their sources. Therefore, it saw the source from a strange combination of stars, scientists say.

One of the pair of stars is quite massive - about 12 times the mass of the Sun. And it shows strong spectral emission lines.

The satellite of this giant star is a white dwarf, which is about 20% more massive than our Sun. White dwarfs are the last stage of sun-like stars that have expelled their outer layers to reveal their core, astronomers explain.

According to scientists, there is a stellar paradox between these two objects. After all, a sun-like star can exist for at least hundreds of millions of years, and in the case of the real Sun, billions, before turning into a white dwarf.

However, a star with 12 solar masses should explode as a supernova in only 20 million years. So, given the huge difference in lifespan, how can this giant star end up in the same orbit as a white dwarf is a big question.

Scientists suggest that it is likely that the big star and the white dwarf share materials, taking turns feeding each other like vampires.

"This study gives us new insights into a rarely observed phase of stellar evolution, which is the result of a complex exchange of material that must have happened among the two stars," said Ashley Chrimes, a scientist at the European Space Agency.

"It's fascinating to see how an interacting pair of massive stars can produce such an intriguing outcome," the expert added.

Only verified information is available on OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!