Telescope discovers ‘two-faced’ white dwarf star; see video

According to a new study published in the scientific journal Nature, for the first time a team of scientists detected a very different white dwarf from other stars in the same category: it has ‘two faces’. Scientists used data from the astronomical observatory Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) in the United States and other telescopes to decipher the mysterious new cosmic object.

The white dwarf was named Janus after the Roman god of the same name, who also had two faces. In reality, the star’s appearance is divided into two parts: Janus’ surface is completely different on both sides; hence the ‘two hundred’ reference.

What is a white dwarf?

A white dwarf represents the post-mortem stage of a star that isn’t “strong enough” to go supernova. After burning all their nuclear fuel, white dwarfs condense and have a mass comparable to that of the Sun, and yet often emit very little luminosity.

“Not all, but some white dwarfs are shifting from hydrogen to helium on their surface. We may have caught one of these white dwarfs red-handed. The magnetic fields around cosmic bodies tend to be asymmetrical or stronger on one side. Magnetic fields can prevent materials from mixing. So if the magnetic field is stronger on one side, there will be less mixing and therefore more hydrogen on that side,” he said.

‘Two-faced’ white dwarf

As the study explains, Janus rotates on its axis every 15 minutes, its temperature is 35,000 degrees Celsius, and most importantly, it has two completely different faces.. So far, the team still didn’t understand how this phenomenon happened, but they developed some theories.

One possible explanation is that the white star has already undergone several changes, while another suggests that the faces are produced by the cosmic object’s strong magnetic field. To date, Janus is the only star discovered with these features.

“Magnetic fields around cosmic bodies tend to be asymmetrical or stronger on one side. Magnetic fields can prevent materials from mixing. Therefore, if the magnetic field is stronger on one side, there will be less mixing and therefore more hydrogen on that side,” adds Caiazzo.

Anyway, the scientists note that they will continue to use the ZTF observatory to search for other stars with similar properties to understand the process responsible for the creation of the ‘two faces’.

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