Astronomers have discovered two white dwarfs orbiting extremely close to each other in the Milky Way galaxy, approximately 160 light-years from Earth. This binary system is destined to end its life in a violent quadruple detonation, a complex explosion that will release an enormous amount of energy.
The two stars, which are about as big as the Earth, have a combined mass of over 150 times that of our sun. They orbit each other at a distance 25 times closer than Mercury is to the sun, completing one orbit every 14 hours. As they lose energy, their orbits will narrow, leading to a catastrophic event.
In this type of binary system, the heavier star will begin to draw material from the lighter one’s outer layer, increasing its mass and triggering a thermonuclear explosion. This will lead to a series of explosions, culminating in a quadruple detonation that is expected to occur around 22.6 billion years from now.
The explosion will be visible from Earth as about 10 times brighter than the moon, and will appear in the night sky for only four seconds. If the universe continues to exist, this event marks the first time a binary system has been identified with such a fate.
Researchers believe that if the stars were far enough apart, they could survive without any catastrophic future. However, their close proximity ensures that their demise is inevitable.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/science/astronomers-spot-two-white-dwarfs-doomed-die-quadruple-detonation-2025-04-07