Gamma-Cas and its hungry white dwarf companion (IMAGE)

University of Liège

Gamma-Cas and its hungry white dwarf companion

Caption

This artist's impression visualises the massive star gamma-Cas and its small-but-dense white dwarf companion. 

New data from XRISM show that the disc of material ejected by gamma-Cas is being consumed by the white dwarf star, generating the highly variable X-ray emission detected from the system.

The new observations are the first to detect that the X-rays closely follow the orbital motion of the white dwarf, and not gamma-Cas itself. This closes the case on a mystery that has puzzled astronomers for more than fifty years. 

Credit

ESA / Y. Nazé

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