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A Zombie White Dwarf Star is Born Again. Hallelujah!

September 17, 2026
A Zombie White Dwarf Star is Born Again. Hallelujah!
By Evan Gough (https://ift.tt/hM6g47S)

Sakurai's Object is an unusual star that is undergoing evolutionary changes on human timescales. Over thirty years, it has becomes six times brighter. This is due to a very late thermal pulse. As a result, it's transitioned from a white dwarf to a Wolf-Rayet type star, and is called a 'born again' star. The middle panel is an ALMA image that shows the expanding shell of material from the pulse. Image Credit: Stefan Kimeswenger, University of Innsbruck; Peter van Hoof, Royal Observatory Belgium

30 years ago, an amateur astronomer noticed a white dwarf star suddenly getting brighter. New research shows this is due to a Very Late Thermal Pulse, a type of helium flash. The star has heated up and become brighter, and is now called a 'born again' star. It's evolved into a Wolf-Rayet type star, and astronomers will get to watch as it continues to evolve on human timescales.



September 18, 2026 at 12:41AM
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