'Born-again' star offers rare chance to watch stellar evolution in real time

Astronomers have confirmed that Sakurai's Object, a rare "born-again" star, has entered a new phase of its evolution, offering a rare opportunity to study stellar evolution in real time. The star, which unexpectedly re-ignited in 1996, has brightened rapidly, allowing researchers to observe its final stages in just a few decades. Using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope, scientists from The University of Manchester and the Valongo Observatory studied the star, revealing it is similar to our sun but has already entered the phase of becoming a white dwarf. The star's rapid brightening was captured in images and radio observations, showing it has ejected material similar in size to our entire solar system.

The research, published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, shows the star has developed a powerful stellar wind characteristic of Wolf-Rayet stars. The team analyzed light collected by the Very Large Telescope and compared it with computer models to determine the star's temperature, chemical composition, and stellar wind characteristics. The observations revealed the star's surface temperature is between 27,000 K and 36,000 K, indicating it is reheating after its dramatic eruption nearly three decades ago. The findings suggest the star is at an earlier stage of its evolution than V605 Aquilae, which experienced a similar event around 80 years ago.

The study provides new insights into the final stages of stellar evolution and helps test theories that would otherwise take thousands or millions of years to verify. The star's rapid evolution offers a unique opportunity to observe stellar processes in real time, and the research will continue as the star reheats and moves toward becoming a white dwarf. The findings highlight the importance of studying rare stellar events and the potential for future discoveries in stellar evolution.

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