Heartland Magazine – In a groundbreaking discovery, researchers have recently identified a rare phenomenon on a heartbeat star known as MACHO 80.7443.1718. On August 10, 2023, scientists uncovered massive waves on the star’s surface, equivalent to three suns stacked on top of each other.
This extraordinary spectacle has never been observed on a heartbeat star of this magnitude before. Heartbeat stars are renowned for their pulsing nature, exhibiting variations in brightness, akin to the pattern of a human heartbeat on an electrocardiogram (EKG) machine. These fluctuations are caused by the gravitational interaction between the two stars within their close binary system.
The tides generated by this stellar duo can have a profound impact on their appearance, distorting their shapes and influencing the amount of starlight detected from Earth. However, MACHO 80.7443.1718 stood out by displaying fluctuations in brightness that were up to 200 times more significant than any other known heartbeat star system.
Researchers investigating this peculiar behavior concluded that the source of these fluctuations lies in enormous waves present on the larger star. These waves tower at an astonishing height of 2.7 million miles and behave similarly to tidal waves on our home planet. Beginning as smaller swells, they eventually curve over and “break,” leading the star to rotate faster and expel large quantities of stellar gas. This process forms a captivating rotating atmosphere around MACHO 80.7443.1718.
Such an extreme heartbeat has prompted scientists to classify this star as a “heartbreak star.” Intriguingly, they believe that numerous heartbreak stars exist throughout the cosmos and plan to intensify their search for these awe-inspiring celestial objects, aiming to study their luminous atmospheres in more detail.
Heartbeat stars continue to baffle astronomers, with speculation suggesting that some of them may even possess a third star within their systems. Nevertheless, the recent discovery of enormous waves on MACHO 80.7443.1718 has shed new light on the age-old phrase “surf’s up!” This finding indicates that the grandeur of the cosmos extends beyond our imagination and reminds us of the endless wonders that await our exploration.
