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RX J0806.3+1527:
Orbiting Stars Flooding Space with Gravitational Waves
Chandra data (above, graph) from observations of RX J0806.3+1527 (or J0806), show that its X-ray intensity varies with a period of 321.5 seconds. This implies that J0806 is a binary star system where two white dwarf stars are orbiting each other (above, illustration) approximately every 5 minutes.
The short orbital period implies that the stars are only about 50,000 miles apart, a fifth of the distance from the Earth to the Moon, and are moving in excess of a million miles per hour.
According to Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, such a system should produce gravitational waves -
ripples in space-time - that carry energy away from the system at the speed of light.
Energy loss by gravitational waves will cause the stars to move closer together.
X-ray and optical observations indicate that the orbital period of this system is decreasing by 1.2 milliseconds every year, which means that the stars are moving closer together at a rate of about 2 feet per day.
| Fast Facts for RX J0806.3+1527: |
| Credit |
Light curve: NASA/CXC/GSFC/T. Strohmayer; Illustration: GSFC/D. Berry |
| Category |
Neutron Stars/X-ray Binaries, White Dwarfs & Planetary Nebulas |
| Coordinates (J2000) |
RA 08h 06m 23.20s | Dec +15º 27' 30.20" |
| Constellation |
Cancer |
| Observation Dates |
6 pointings between Jan 5, 2004 to Nov 22, 2004
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| Observation Time |
19 hours |
| Obs. IDs |
4523-27, 5782
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| Instrument |
ACIS |
| Also Known As | J0806 | | References | T. Strohmayer, 2005 Astrophys. J. Letters (in press); see also astro-ph/0504150. |
| Distance Estimate |
About 1,600 light years |
| Release Date |
May 30, 2005 |
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