Vampire Stars Can Generate Type Ia Supernovae (Video)

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This video depicts the phenomenon of stellar cannabalism, showing a sun-like star called a white dwarf enriching itself by absorbing its companion star’s matter.

The energy flows through swiftly, forming a cosmic bridge between the two, and ultimately spiraling into the main star, which gradually gains mass.

The vampire star absorbs more matter than it can handle, becoming unstable. It collapses onto itself and dies, forming a massive explosion called a supernova, and spilling its chemically enriched contents into the universe.

These particular explosions are called Type Ia supernovae. Their extreme luminosity allows cosmologists to use them as “standard candles” to measure distances in the universe, and calibrate its increasing expansion due to dark energy.