Overview

• The binary white dwarf system is the most massive of its kind, with a combined mass of 1.56 times that of the sun, ensuring an eventual Type Ia supernova.
• Located 150-160 light-years from Earth, the pair completes an orbit every 14 hours, underlining their exceptional proximity and gravitational interaction.
• The system's future explosion will involve a complex quadruple detonation process, triggered by mass transfer between the stars.
• Astronomers predict the merger and subsequent supernova will occur approximately 22.6 to 23 billion years from now, offering insights into long-term stellar evolution.
• This discovery, confirmed using data from ground-based telescopes, provides critical empirical evidence linking theoretical models of supernova mechanisms to observable systems.