Astronomers find one of the rarest stars in the Milky Way

According to two new studies published in the scientific journals Nature Astronomy and Astronomy & Astrophysics, A white dwarf pulsar, considered one of the rarest stars in the universe, has been discovered in our Milky Way.. The star, designated J1912-4410, is the second white dwarf pulsar in the universe, located just 773 light-years from planet Earth.

So far, scientists have discovered only one white dwarf pulsar, which indicates it may be unique in our universe. With the new discovery confirmed by detecting the stellar object’s magnetic field, astronomers will be able to catalog them with a new class of stars.

What is a pulsar?

Pulsar is a rapidly rotating neutron star that converts its spin speed into electromagnetic energy thanks to its intense magnetic field.

The study could help confirm that a white dwarf’s magnetic field is driven by an internal dynamo in the star. It’s a process similar to what happens in the Earth’s liquid core and is responsible for generating the planet’s magnetic field.. The two studies they reviewed classified the discovery as a white dwarf pulsar, using data collected from space observatories with different equipment.

“The origin of magnetic fields is an open question in many fields of astronomy, and this is especially true for white dwarf stars. Magnetic fields in white dwarfs can be a million times stronger than the Sun’s magnetic field and dynamo model.” “The discovery of J1912-4410 provided a critical step in this area,” said astrophysicist Ingrid Pelisoli of the University of Warwick (UK).

one of the rare stars

The first white dwarf pulsar found in the universe was the star AR Scorpii, identified in a study published in 2016. a red dwarf system with a much faster spin rate than previously detected in white dwarfs.

As a new discovery, AR Scorpii has challenged astronomers’ understanding of white dwarfs. One possible explanation for the high spin rate of a white dwarf pulsar is: perhaps they originally evolved without a magnetic field, allowing the spin to increase by ‘stealing’ energy from the red dwarf it orbited.

Anyway, scientists explain that they still don’t quite understand what’s inside a white dwarf pulsar. They theorize that they are stellar objects of extremely dense mass and likely have a liquid dynamo responsible for generating the magnetic field.