An artists impression showing the centre of planetary nebula Henize 2-428, in which lies two white dwarf stars, which researchers believe will one day merge and explode into a supernova. (Photo Credit: ESO/L. Calçada)
While attempting to explain the odd shapes some planetary nebula researchers discovered the pair of stars that could be the first instance of two white dwarfs merging and exploding into a supernova.
This finding supports the idea that double central stars may explain the odd shape of some nebulae.
The researchers believe this is the first known instance of system where two white dwarf stars will merge into a single star which will then explode into a supernova. The pair of stars orbit each other in approximately four hours and have a combined mass of 1.8 times the sun. Due to their relative closeness and mass researchers believe it is likely the pair will be drawn together before exploding into a supernova.
Original research paper published in Nature on February 9, 2015.
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