Dossier
red dwarf
Coverage of red dwarf in the Nexus archive.
- Scientists locate source of mysterious radio signals after 20 year search: A vampire star and its victim
Scientists have identified the source of mysterious radio signals after a 20-year search, discovering a white dwarf star, referred to as a vampire star, siphoning matter from its companion red dwarf. The system, named ASKAP J1745-5051, features a compact white dwarf with magnetic-field lines and a stream of matter from the red dwarf.
- A stellar “Rosetta stone” reveals the source of mysterious cosmic signals
Astronomers used Australia’s ASKAP radio telescope to trace repeating cosmic signals to a rare stellar system where a white dwarf siphons material from a red dwarf companion, emitting radio waves and X-rays every 1.4 hours. The discovery solves a long-standing mystery about the source of these signals.