CANBERRA, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Stars in close binary systems, where two stars orbit each other at very short distances, are displaying unexpectedly intense magnetic activity, according to new research led by Australian National University (ANU).
Magnetic activity, such as flares and sunspots, is typically linked to how fast a star spins, increasing with speed until it plateaus.
But this study, using data from China's Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic (LAMOST) telescope and Europe's Gaia observatory, found that closely orbiting stars don't follow this rule, an ANU press release said on Friday.
The study, published in Nature Astronomy, said many of these close binary stars show magnetic activity far above the expected limit, and in the fastest-spinning pairs, activity actually drops off, a puzzling trend known as "supersaturation," the release said.
Researchers believe tidal forces between closely orbiting stars may be intensifying or reshaping their magnetic fields.
These findings could improve scientists' understanding of stellar evolution and help assess whether planets around such stars might support life, it said. ■
