Nine years’ worth of data from ESO’s Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) and other telescopes has revealed the mysterious past of an unusual pair of stars. The study reveals odd differences between these stars for a binary system — one of the stars appears younger and, unlike the other, is magnetic. The pair is also surrounded by a nebula hundreds of times younger than them. Astronomers believe this couple was originally a trio, in which two of the stars were much closer than the third and eventually clashed, violently merging into a younger, magnetic star. This event also released the nebula that now surrounds the stars. This video summarises the discovery.

For more details, check: https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso2407/

Credits: ESO

Directed by: Angelos Tsaousis and Martin Wallner.
Editing: Angelos Tsaousis.
Web and technical support: Gurvan Bazin and Raquel Yumi Shida.
Written by: Elena Reiriz Martínez, Louisa Spillman, Davor Curic.
Music: Stellardrone — Endeavour.
Footage and photos: ESO / Luis Calçada, Martin Kornmesser, Angelos Tsaousis, Babak Tafreshi (twanight.org), Mahdi Zamani (https://mahdizamani.com/), VPHAS+ team.
Scientific consultant: Paola Amico, Mariya Lyubenova. Acknowledgments: CASU.