NASA discovers glowing vampire star from Kepler space probe archives

The video explains a rare astronomical event called a super outburst, where a white dwarf star devours its brown dwarf companion, creating intense light. The retired Kepler telescope captured footage that led to this discovery. The brown dwarf orbits the white dwarf every 83 minutes, forming an accretion disk due to the white dwarf's gravitational pull. When the disk reaches a critical mass, gravitational resonance with the orbiting star causes a temperature spike, resulting in a super outburst.

What is a super outburst?

• A rare event where a star consumes its companion and emits intense light

• A process where a star loses its mass

• A phenomenon where a star explodes

• A common event where two stars merge

What role did the Kepler telescope play in the study of the super outburst?

• It was used to simulate the event

• It captured archival footage that led to the discovery

• It provided real-time footage of the event

• It was not involved in the study

How often does the brown dwarf orbit the white dwarf?

• Every 7 days

• Every 83 minutes

• Every 24 hours

• Every 365 days

What happens when the accretion disk reaches a critical mass?

• It collapses into a black hole

• It experiences gravitational resonance with the orbiting star

• It cools down significantly

• It disintegrates into smaller particles

What is the peak temperature reached during a super outburst?

• 1,000 degrees Celsius

• 20,000 degrees Celsius

• 11,700 degrees Celsius

• 5,300 degrees Celsius