Thursday, September 17, 2026

A Zombie White Dwarf Star is Born Again. Hallelujah!

Sakurai's Object is an unusual star that is undergoing evolutionary changes on human timescales. Over thirty years, it has becomes six times brighter. This is due to a very late thermal pulse. As a result, it's transitioned from a white dwarf to a Wolf-Rayet type star, and is called a 'born again' star. The middle panel is an ALMA image that shows the expanding shell of material from the pulse. Image Credit: Stefan Kimeswenger, University of Innsbruck; Peter van Hoof, Royal Observatory Belgium

30 years ago, an amateur astronomer noticed a white dwarf star suddenly getting brighter. New research shows this is due to a Very Late Thermal Pulse, a type of helium flash. The star has heated up and become brighter, and is now called a 'born again' star. It's evolved into a Wolf-Rayet type star, and astronomers will get to watch as it continues to evolve on human timescales.



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