Overview

• The binary star system, discovered by University of Warwick astronomers, has a combined mass of 1.56 times that of the sun, making it the heaviest of its kind ever observed.
• Located just 150 light-years from Earth, the system provides a rare opportunity to study type 1a supernova progenitors up close.
• Over billions of years, gravitational wave radiation will shrink the system's orbit, leading to a rare quadruple detonation supernova that will destroy both stars.
• The supernova, expected in 23 billion years, will appear extraordinarily bright from Earth, shining up to 10 times brighter than the moon.
• The discovery, published in Nature Astronomy, suggests such high-mass binary systems may be more common than previously thought, prompting further surveys by astronomers.