“This system looks special,” says study lead author Abigail Frost, an astronomer at ESO. “The interesting age difference and the presence of the nebula pointed to a turbulent past.” Further analysis revealed a crucial clue: The nebula itself is surprisingly young, hundreds of times younger than the stars. It also contains large amounts of elements commonly found in the interiors of stars.
The team pieced together all the events using data collected over nine years by ESO’s powerful telescopes. They suggest that HD 148 937 originally contained three stars, two of which were in close orbit and the third remained distant. At one point a close couple collided, resulting in a merger.
As a result of this “star war”, the magnetic star we see today was born and formed a nebula by throwing matter outwards. The remaining distant star newly merged and moved into a new orbit with its magnetic companion, forming the binary star observed today.
This scenario not only explains the difference between the ages of stars and the composition of the nebula, but also sheds light on a long-standing mystery: the origin of magnetic fields in massive stars.
The team believes the merger occurred recently, allowing them to observe this rare event “immediately” afterward.
Source: Ferra
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