Start Date
2021
Description
A contact binary star system consists of two stars orbiting each other so closely that they share a common atmosphere. Nearly 1% of stars like our sun are contact binaries, yet there is not a comprehensive model of their lives. Our goal is to understand the formation, life, and explosive demise of these objects. This summer we did the first comprehensive calculations of contact binary lifetimes from when they first come into contact until they reach instability.
Recommended Citation
Henderson, Lauren; Lau, Jenn; and Molnar, Larry A., "Using MESA to Test Our Theory of Contact Binary Star Evolution" (2021). Summer Research. 26.
https://digitalcommons.calvin.edu/summer_research/2021/Posters/26
Using MESA to Test Our Theory of Contact Binary Star Evolution
A contact binary star system consists of two stars orbiting each other so closely that they share a common atmosphere. Nearly 1% of stars like our sun are contact binaries, yet there is not a comprehensive model of their lives. Our goal is to understand the formation, life, and explosive demise of these objects. This summer we did the first comprehensive calculations of contact binary lifetimes from when they first come into contact until they reach instability.