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Astronomers have discovered a system of binary stars – two stars revolving around one of the other – spinning in the depths of the Milky Way at such a speed that one of the explosions the most powerful of the universe is triggered. The star system is wrapped in an "elegant spiral dust cloud", which makes it so "spectacular," say the experts. The two stars in question are Wolf-Rayet's stars, which are among the hottest of all types of stars in the universe and whose gas produced moves at around 3,400 kilometers per second.
Named Apep, the two stars about 8000 light-years from Earth emit large amounts of hot winds and gases, a sign that they are at the end of their life and will soon explode in a supernova.
Professor Paul Crowther, of the University of Sheffield, who participated in the study published in the journal Nature Astronomy, said: "The way the dust – similar to the soot of a candle – forms in so harsh environments
"But this newly discovered system is the most beautiful case to date."
Professor Peter Tuthill, co-author of the study, added: "When we saw the spiral tail of dust, we immediately knew that we were dealing with a kind of rare and particular nebula called a mill. wind.
"The curved tail is formed by centrally located binary stars in the orbit, which inject dust into the expanding wind, creating a pattern similar to that of a rotating lawn sprinkler.
"Because the wind swells so much, it inflates the tiny swirls of dust, revealing the physics of the stars at the heart of the system."
Co-author Benjamin Pope of New York University said, "The rotation of the central stars is the key to understanding the strange behavior of the wind.
"What we found in the Apep system is a precursor of the supernova that seems to spin very fast, so fast that it could be close to breaking.
"The rapid rotation places Apep in a whole new class. Normal supernovae are already extreme events, but adding rotation to the mix can really throw gasoline on the fire.
This type of star was never discovered in the Milky Way and Professor Tuthill believes that the explosion could be spectacular.
He said: "In the end, we can not be certain of what the future holds for Apep.
"The system can slow down enough to explode like a normal supernova rather than a gamma burst.
"However, in the meantime, it offers astronomers a prominent place in a magnificent and dangerous physics that we have never seen in our galaxy."
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