That’s not science journalist hyperbole, by the way.
Astronomers dub these systems cataclysmic variables, and it’s an apt name.
The pair, which reside around 3,000 light-years from the Earth, has been tagged ZTF J1813+4251.
The ZTF catalog allows astronomers to look for rapid changes in brightness from stars.
That’s how the researchers found this peculiar pair.
“This is a special system,” said Kevin Burdge, an astrophysicist at MIT.
He notes that it’s “one of the most beautifully behaved cataclysmic variables known.”
The timing of the flash corresponds to the shortest orbit for a cataclysmic variable discovered to date.
That led to a puzzle.
The mass of the sun prevents it from having such a tight orbit.
So why was this Jupiter-sized star doing just that?
That leaves behind a more dense core of helium, which helps stabilize the tight orbit.
The team also ran simulations to determine the ultimate fate of ZTF J1813+4251.
The series of satellites will be used to detectgravitational waves– which these stellar dancing partners will produce
