Mysterious, Saturn-Like Stars Steal Their Rings From Nearby Stars

A new and more complex picture has emerged of how ringed stars form and change the galaxy around them.

By Matt Hrodey
Nov 28, 2023 5:00 PMNov 28, 2023 5:10 PM
Vampire star
An artist's rendering of a "vampire" star as it strips stellar material from a companion. (Credit: ESO/L. Calçada)

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By observing a complex dance of stars, astronomers have come up with a new explanation for why exotic Be stars - B-type stars that show emission lines - have their own Saturn-like rings.

Conventional wisdom states Be stars are locked in orbit of another star, in a so-called binary system. Forces from the second star cause the Be star to rotate quickly and sling material out into a ring. But the new study questions this explanation.

Observing Be Star Movements

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