Gaia14aae: Citizen Scientists Find A One-In-A-Billion Star

A type of two-star system known as a Cataclysmic Variable, where one super dense white dwarf star is stealing gas from its companion star, effectively 'cannibalizing' it, has been found by citizen scientists. It is the first known such system where one star completely eclipses the other.  The system, named Gaia14aae, is located about 730 light years away in the Draco constellation. Amateurs discovered it in data from the European Space Agency's Gaia satellite of August 2014, when it suddenly became five times brighter over the course of a single day. read more

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