Two-faced star with helium and hydrogen sides baffles astronomers
by Hannah Devlin , Science correspondent from Science | The Guardian on (#6D3M2)
White dwarf nicknamed Janus could be in transition from one element dominating at its surface to the other
- The artist's animation shows Janus rotating on its axis. Credit: K. Miller, Caltech/IPAC
Astronomers have discovered a two-faced star and are baffled by its bizarre appearance.
The white dwarf appears to have one side composed almost entirely of hydrogen and the other side made up of helium. It is the first time that astronomers have discovered a lone star that appears to have spontaneously developed two contrasting faces.
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