VFTS_352

VFTS 352

VFTS 352

Contact binary star system in the constellation Dorado

VFTS 352 is a contact binary star system 160,000 light-years (49,000 pc) away in the Tarantula Nebula, which is part of the Large Magellanic Cloud.[5] It is the most massive and earliest spectral type overcontact system known.[4]

Quick Facts Observation data Epoch J2000 Equinox J2000, Constellation ...
The very active star-forming region around the Tarantula Nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud, where VFTS 352 is located

The discovery of this O-type binary star system made use of the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope,[6] and the description was published on 13 October 2015.[4] VFTS 352 is composed of two very hot (40,000 °C), bright and massive stars of equal size that orbit each other in little more than a day. The stars are so close that their atmospheres overlap.[6] Both stars are rotating at a rate equal to their orbital period; that is, they are tidally locked.[7] Extreme stars like the two components of VFTS 352 are thought to be the main producers of elements such as oxygen.[6]

The future of VFTS 352 is uncertain, and there are two possible scenarios. If the two stars merge, a very rapidly rotating star will be produced. If it keeps spinning rapidly it might end its life in a long-duration gamma-ray burst. In a second hypothetical scenario, the components would end their lives in supernova explosions, forming a close binary black hole system, hence a potential gravitational wave source through black hole–black hole merger.[4]

See also

References

  1. [1]
    Cutri, Roc M.; Skrutskie, Michael F.; Van Dyk, Schuyler D.; Beichman, Charles A.; Carpenter, John M.; Chester, Thomas; Cambresy, Laurent; Evans, Tracey E.; Fowler, John W.; Gizis, John E.; Howard, Elizabeth V.; Huchra, John P.; Jarrett, Thomas H.; Kopan, Eugene L.; Kirkpatrick, J. Davy; Light, Robert M.; Marsh, Kenneth A.; McCallon, Howard L.; Schneider, Stephen E.; Stiening, Rae; Sykes, Matthew J.; Weinberg, Martin D.; Wheaton, William A.; Wheelock, Sherry L.; Zacarias, N. (2003). "VizieR Online Data Catalog: 2MASS All-Sky Catalog of Point Sources (Cutri+ 2003)". CDS/ADC Collection of Electronic Catalogues. 2246: II/246. Bibcode:2003yCat.2246....0C.
  2. [2]
    Evans, C. J.; Taylor, W. D.; Hénault-Brunet, V.; Sana, H.; De Koter, A.; et al. (June 2011). "The VLT-FLAMES Tarantula Survey. I. Introduction and observational overview". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 530: A108. arXiv:1103.5386. Bibcode:2011A&A...530A.108E. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201116782. S2CID 54501763.
  3. [3]
    Walborn, N. R.; Sana, H.; Simón-Díaz, S.; Maíz Apellániz, J.; Taylor, W. D.; Evans, C. J.; Markova, N.; Lennon, D. J.; De Koter, A. (2014). "The VLT-FLAMES Tarantula Survey. XIV. The O-type stellar content of 30 Doradus". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 564: A40. arXiv:1402.6969. Bibcode:2014A&A...564A..40W. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201323082. S2CID 119302111.
  4. [4]
    Almeida, L. A.; Sana, H.; Mink, S. E. de; Tramper, F.; Soszyński, I.; Langer, N.; Barbá, R. H.; Cantiello, M.; Damineli, A.; Koter, A. de; Garcia, M.; Gräfener, G.; Herrero, A.; Howarth, I.; Apellániz, J. Maíz; Norman, C.; Ramírez-Agudelo, O. H.; Vink, J. S. (2015). "Discovery of the Massive Overcontact Binary VFTS 352: Evidence for Enhanced Internal Mixing". The Astrophysical Journal. 812 (2): 102. arXiv:1509.08940. Bibcode:2015ApJ...812..102A. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/812/2/102. S2CID 53653307.
  5. [5]
    "Final Kiss of Two Stars Heading for Catastrophe". EPB. 15 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  6. [6]
    "Final kiss of two stars heading for catastrophe". Astronomy Now. 21 October 2015. Retrieved 2015-10-21.
  7. [7]
    Abdul-Masih, Michael; Sana, Hugues; Hawcroft, Calum; Almeida, Leonardo A.; Brands, Sarah A.; De Mink, Selma E.; Justham, Stephen; Langer, Norbert; Mahy, Laurent; Marchant, Pablo; Menon, Athira; Puls, Joachim; Sundqvist, Jon (2021). "Constraining the Overcontact Phase in Massive Binary Evolution I. Mixing in V382 Cyg, VFTS 352, and OGLE SMC-SC10 108086". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 651: A96. arXiv:2104.07621. Bibcode:2021A&A...651A..96A. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202040195. S2CID 233240917.
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