The most massive binary system with the shortest period observed to date

25/11/2014

A study of the binary system “MY Camelopardalis” published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, in which participates the SO postdoctoral researcher at the IAC Sergio Simón, shows that the most massive stars are formed by the merging of other smaller stars, as theoretical models predicted. The binary system is composed of two stars of spectral type O (blue, very hot, and very luminous) with masses 38 and 32 times that of the Sun, which are still burning their initial hydrogen fuel. They are very close together, with an orbital period of less than 1.2 days, which is the shortest period known for stars of this type. The predictable evolution of the system will lead to the merger of the two stars into one object with a mass 60 times that of the sun, before either of them has had time to evolve significantly. >> Read more