Astronomers first observed a star flare from start to finish

The emergence of a new star is a dramatic episode in the life of a binary pair of celestial bodies, scientists explained.

This is an explosion that can last for weeks or even months, despite the fact that the phenomenon is quite common (in the Milky Way, they are detected annuallyabout 10) — astronomers have never before observed them fromfrom start to finish.

In this case, the star arose in close binarythe V906 Carinae system, where one of the stars went through its red giant phase, leaving behind the remains of a white dwarf. When the white dwarf and his partner approached each other, the massive gravitational attraction of the white dwarf attracted hydrogen from another star.

This hydrogen accreted on the surface of the white dwarf, forming a thin atmosphere. The white dwarf heated hydrogen, after which the gas pressure became extremely high and an explosion occurred.

Astronomers have discovered a record-breaking faint supernova

Astronomers used a satellite to observeBRITE (BRIght Target Explorer), consisting of nanosatellites that allow you to observe the entire process. The explosion of Nova V906 in the constellation Carinae confirms some of the theoretical concepts underlying the formation of the star.

For the first time, the constellation V906 Carinae was noticed withusing automated sky research. Carinae V906 is located about 13 thousand light years away, so this event is already history. It is so far from us that its light takes about 13 thousand years to reach Earth.