The researchers calculated the mass of this star by using the precise timing observation of the Hubble Space Telescope, which studied Stein 205 1b, which blocked another star farther away from the Earth. In this transit, the background star seems to have changed its position in the sky. Although its actual position in the sky has not changed at all, its speed of moving sideways is very small.
This cosmic optical illusion is widely called gravitational lens effect, and its influence is widely observed in the whole universe, especially in very large objects, such as the whole galaxy. This effect occurs because a huge object distorts the space around it, just like a very large lens, bending the path of light from more distant objects. In some cases, this will create the illusion that the background star is replaced. [Einstein's explanation of the theory of relativity (data map)]
(Water can also produce this displacement illusion; Try to put the pencil in a glass of water. Please note that the underwater part of the pencil seems to be disconnected from the dry part.
Einstein predicted that these displacement events can be used to measure the mass of a single star. This is because the position deviation of the background star depends on the quality of the foreground star. But the telescope at that time lacked the sensitivity to realize this dream.
The scientists behind this new work say that before, no one used the displacement of the background star to calculate the mass of a single star. In fact, there is only one example for scientists to measure the displacement between individual stars: during the 19 19 total solar eclipse, scientists saw the sun move some background stars. This kind of measurement is possible because the sun is very close to the earth. A paper describing a new job was published in today's Science magazine. KDSPE""KDSPs""KDSPE. This picture shows that the gravity of objects, such as white dwarfs, distorts space and bends the light path from distant objects. (Photo credit: ESA/ Hubble and NASA) Cosmic lens "KDSPS" Einstein's general theory of relativity assumes that space is elastic rather than fixed, and huge objects (such as stars) produce curves in space, a bit like bowling balls produce curves on the surface of mattresses. The degree to which an object distorts space-time depends on its mass (similarly, a heavier bowling ball will leave a deep mark on the mattress).
Light usually passes through an empty space in a straight line, but if the light is close to a massive object, the curve formed by the star in space is like a curve bent on the road, which causes the light to deviate from the original straight path.
Einstein proved that this deflection can direct more light to the observer, similar to how a magnifying glass focuses scattered sunlight on a point. This effect will make the background object look brighter, or create a bright halo around the foreground object, which is called Einstein ring. Astronomers at KDSP have observed Einstein rings and bright events, which occur when huge foreground lenses are used, just like the whole galaxy. These are also observed on the plane of the Milky Way, where, precisely, it will let astrophysicists go back to the drawing board and find out how such an object is formed. Sahu Hu Hu said that astronomers realized that their measurement of the mass of Stan 205 1b might be incorrect, but they were not sure.
Usually, the only way to measure the mass of a star is to observe how it interacts with another massive celestial body. For example, in a binary system where two stars surround each other, the heavier star will have a great influence on the motion of the lighter star. By observing the interaction between two stars over time, scientists can calculate more and more specific values of star mass. Stein 205 1 B has a companion star, but the orbits of the two celestial bodies are far apart, so they have little influence on each other.
The new results show that stein205 1b is actually a very normal white dwarf, which coincides with the recognized formation theory mentioned by Sahu. Sahu said that its mass is about 0.68 times that of the sun, which indicates that it was formed by a star with a mass about 2.3 times that of the sun. This is compared with the previous measurement results. The former sets the mass of the white dwarf as 0.5 times that of the sun. He added that not many white dwarfs have been accurately measured for their mass and radius.
"This confirms the relationship between the mass radius of white dwarfs." [Astrophysicist] has been using this theory, so it is good to know that it has a solid foundation.
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