Astronomers have uncovered what appear to be 21 neutron stars in orbit around stars like our Sun. The discovery is surprising because it is not clear how a star that exploded winds up next to a star like our Sun.
Most stars in our universe come in pairs. While our own Sun is a loner, many stars like our Sun orbit similar stars, while a host of other exotic pairings between stars and cosmic orbs pepper the universe. Black holes, for example, are often found orbiting each other. One pairing that has proved to be quite rare is that between a Sun -like star and a type of dead star called a neutron star.
While neutron stars have previously been detected in orbit around stars like our Sun, those systems have all been more compact. With little distance separating the two bodies, a neutron star can steal mass away from its partner. This mass transfer process makes the neutron star shine brightly at X-ray or radio wavelengths. In contrast, the neutron stars in the new study are much farther from their partners -- on the order of one to three times the distance between Earth and the Sun.
"We still do not have a complete model for how these binaries form," explains El-Badry."In principle, the progenitor to the neutron star should have become huge and interacted with the solar-type star during its late-stage evolution." The huge star would have knocked the little star around, likely temporarily engulfing it.
The new observations also suggest just how rare the pairings are."We estimate that about one in a million solar-type stars is orbiting a neutron star in a wide orbit," he said.
Black Holes Astronomy Galaxies Nebulae Astrophysics Sun Extrasolar Planets
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Astronomers discover what may be 21 neutron stars orbiting sun-like starsMost stars in our universe come in pairs. While our own sun is a loner, many stars like our sun orbit similar stars, while a host of other exotic pairings between stars and cosmic orbs pepper the universe. Black holes, for example, are often found orbiting each other.
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