MIT astronomers find 1st low-mass star feeding on brown dwarf
Technology
MIT astronomers have discovered a rare cosmic duo, ZTF J0440+2325, about 300 light-years from Earth.
In this system, a star is gradually pulling material from its brown dwarf companion, a process that could last billions of years.
It is the first time scientists have seen a low-mass star feeding off another low-mass object like this.
Brown dwarf orbits every 87 minutes
Unlike the usual quick and dramatic star-eats-planet events, this slow-motion snack changes what we know about how planets and stars interact over time.
The brown dwarf, 25 times heavier than Jupiter, whirls around its star every 87 minutes, losing material as it goes.
The discovery opens up new questions about how these unusual systems shape the universe.