Contact: Kris Stanek
stanek.32@osu.edu
614-292-3433
Ohio State University

Two New Star Systems Are First Of Their Kind Ever Found (2 of 3)

Caption: Ohio State University astronomers and their colleagues have discovered a new type of star system, one that may be the progenitor of a rare type of supernova. The star system is called a "yellow supergiant eclipsing binary" -- it contains two very bright, massive yellow stars that are very closely orbiting each other. In fact, the stars are so close together that a large amount of stellar material is shared between them, so that the shape of the system resembles a peanut.

Credit: Image by Kevin Gecsi, courtesy of Ohio State University.

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