Astronomers have found the smallest star in the known Universe
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The Astronomers at the University of Cambridge announced the discovery of the smallest ever discovered the stars. Object EBLM J0555–57Ab is part of a binary system (it wraps around a larger star), located approximately 600 light years from us, and has a size barely larger than the size of the planet Saturn.
"Our discovery shows how small can be a star" — says one of the researchers, astronomer, University of Cambridge Alexander Boitier.
"If she had a little less mass, and reaction of hydrogen in the core of this star would be impossible. Most likely, in this case, the object would become a brown dwarf."
For the same reason, stellar objects of class brown dwarfs are often called failed stars. But in the case of EBLM J0555–57Ab, despite its small size, it has enough mass to support fusion reactions in the core.
size Comparison: Jupiter, Saturn, detected the star EBLM J0555–57Ab and the planet TRAPPIST-1
And yet, even though EBLM J0555–57Ab technically is a star, she is very, very dim – about 2000-3000 times dimmer than our Sun. And if still to consider that her companion is far more bright and large star EBLM J0555–57A, we can see that to detect the tiny star the size of a planet was very, very difficult.
"It's about the same what to look for a candle, and burning located behind the lighthouse" — says astronomer Amaury Triod who participated in the study.
In fact, scientists did not understand what they're looking at when found EBLM J0555–57Ab, held in an orbit in front of its larger sibling. The technique, which was discovered a tiny star, typically used to search for exoplanets. About them according to a decreasing brightness lights at the moment when a planet passes in front of a star. The definition of the true nature of EBLM J0555–57Ab demanded that scientists gather more information.
"Yes, until we have calculated its mass, it seemed like a normal transferowa the planet," — explains the Triode.
Further analysis of the scientists working on the project "the Search for planets in wide sector" (SuperWASP), showed that the tiny star has a mass comparable with open up to this planet TRAPPIST–1, and thus has a radius which is approximately 30 percent less.
These small, dull and rather warm stars, as EBLM J0555–57Ab are considered optimal candidates for existence of worlds that might support life, because of their relatively low activity increases the likelihood that the existing planets near them, the water can remain in liquid form.
However, despite the fact that stars with a mass less than 1/3 the mass of the Sun is considered the most common types of stars in the Universe, we still do not know about them. Mainly because objects of this class are very difficult to detect on the background of the more bright and large stars.
"This star represents the smallest natural fusion reactor from those that we know. Of course, we are trying to reproduce the process of nuclear fusion in our laboratories on Earth, but in natural terms at the moment, this is the most tiny", — adds a Triode.
For More complete results of the discoveries of astronomers will be published in the next issue of the scientific journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.
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