Context
Indian Institute of Astrophysics researchers discover ‘vampire star’ that feeds off its companion star
About Vampire Stars (Blue Straggler Stars)
- Are identified in star clusters where they appear younger than their neighbours, challenging conventional stellar evolution models.
- Formation Theory: they consume material from companion stars, it transforms into a blue star, a blue straggler.
- Symbiotic Binaries: Often found in pairs, with the vampire star initially being the smaller one but eventually becoming larger after consuming its companion’s material.
- Recent Research Highlights
- Researchers studied the surface composition of a vampire star in M67, an open cluster in the constellation Cancer, specifically the star WOCS 9005.
- WOCS 9005’s atmosphere was found to be unusually rich in heavy elements like barium, yttrium, and lanthanum, typically found in older, more massive stars.
- Observations with AstroSat: Using the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UVIT), significant ultraviolet emissions were detected from WOCS 9005.
About AstroSat
- India’s 1st dedicated astronomy mission designed to study celestial sources across X-ray, optical, and UV spectral bands simultaneously.
- Energy Bands: Covers the Ultraviolet (Near and Far), limited optical, and X-ray regimes (0.3 keV to 100 keV).
- Weighing 1515 kg, AstroSat was launched on September 28, 2015.
- Placed into a 650 km orbit inclined at 6 degrees to the equator.
- Launch Vehicle: Deployed by PSLV-C30 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.
- Expected Duration: The minimum useful life of the AstroSat mission is projected to be 5 years.
Source:
The Hindu
Previous Year Question
The terms ‘Event Horizon’, ‘Singularity’, ‘String Theory’ and ‘Standard Model’ are sometimes seen in the news in the context of:
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2017 Prelims]
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) Observation and understanding of the Universe
(b) Study of the solar and the lunar eclipses
(c) Placing satellites in the orbit of the Earth
(d) Origin and evolution of living organisms on the Earth
Answer: (a)
