![]() ![]() This type of system is called a dwarf nova, and, based on other examples, scientists proposed that the outbursts result from changes in the rate at which matter moves through the disk onto the white dwarf. On an average of once every 49 days, a powerful outburst greatly brightens the system. The two stars orbit each other in only about 6.6 hours. The strong gravity of the white dwarf pulls material from its companion into a swirling disk surrounding the white dwarf. SS Cygni, in the constellation Cygnus the Swan, is a dense white dwarf star in a close orbit with a less-massive red dwarf. The new distance measurement brings it into line with the standard explanation," said James Miller-Jones, of the Curtin University node of the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research in Perth, Australia. "This is one of the best-studied systems of its type, but according to our understanding of how these things work, it should not have been having outbursts. This new distance measurement meant that an explanation for the system's regular outbursts that applies to similar pairs also applies to SS Cygni. Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) and the European VLBI Network (EVN) to precisely locate one of the most-observed variable-star systems in the sky - a double-star system called SS Cygni - at 370 light-years from Earth. ![]() The researchers used the National Science Foundation's Astronomers have resolved a major problem in their understanding of a class of stars that undergo regular outbursts by accurately measuring the distance to a famous example of the type.Īrtist's conception of SS Cygni double-star system. Sometimes astronomy is like real estate - what's important is location, location, and location. (575) Distance Measurement Resolves Major Astronomical Mystery Embargoed For Release: 2:00 p.m., EDT, Thursday, ![]()
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