Theoretical Hybrid Star Discovered

A Thorne-Żytkow object - a unique "hybrid star" - has been discovered in the Universe, proving the existence of a once purely theoretical celestial object.

According to the University of Colorado at Boulder, a research team working from the 6.5-meter Magellan Clay telescope on Las Campanas in Chile was observing element readings from red supergiants when they stumbled upon a star that was giving some unusual readings.

Nidia Morrell, of the Carnegie Observatories, said that when she first saw the readings she exclaimed, "I don't know what this is, but I know that I like it!," according to a recent press release.

The team soon found that what they were seeing what a Thorne-Żytkow object (TŻO) - a class of hybrid star physicist Kip Thorne and astronomer Anna Żytkow first theorized could exist back in 1975.

According to the theory, a TŻO forms when a massive red supergiant swallows a neutron star - the product of some supernova explosions. Unlike with traditional red giant meals, the neutron star would not simply become part of the giant's churning mass. Instead, the neutron star would sink to the center of the red giant, where it would become the star's core, changing its internal workings and creating an unusual "hybrid star" disguised as a dying red giant.

Despite its misleading appearance, it was concluded that a TŻO would have remarkably high levels of excess rubidium, lithium and molybdenum - elements that can be found in standard red giants, but not at the substantial levels that would be in a TŻO.

According to the researchers, the apparent red giant HV 2112 in the Small Magellanic Cloud had these very readings, betraying it for what it really was - the first real-world example of a TŻO.

"I am extremely happy that observational confirmation of our theoretical prediction has started to emerge," Żytkow said in a statement following the discovery. "Since Kip Thorne and I proposed our models of stars with neutron cores, people were not able to disprove our work. If theory is sound, experimental confirmation shows up sooner or later."

A study detailing this discovery has been accepted for publication in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Letters at a later date.

It is recommended that these findings be considered preliminary until time of official publication.