Discovering V0610 Virgo: A New Low-Mass Contact Binary
Recently, astronomers have discovered a rare low-mass contact binary in the Virgo constellation. This binary consists of two stars orbiting each other, and it is the first of its kind to be observed in the Virgo constellation.
The two stars, named V0610 Vir, are about half the mass of the Sun and separated by a mere 4.6 million miles. This makes them one of the closest binaries ever observed, and their proximity to each other has allowed astronomers to study the formation and evolution of low-mass stars in detail.
The stars in this binary are both main sequence stars, meaning they are in the process of burning hydrogen into helium to create energy. This process is estimated to take about 2.5 billion years, and it is believed that the stars will eventually merge together in a few million years.
This discovery is a major breakthrough in the field of astronomy, and it has the potential to shed light on the formation and evolution of low-mass stars.
source: Phys.org