ARIES and PRL study of W Ursae Majoris contact binaries sheds light on star evolution
The Department of Science and Technology reported on 6 January 2026 that ARIES and PRL astronomers used the Devasthal Fast Optical Telescope and NASA's TESS to study four W Ursae Majoris-type contact binary stars.
Summary
The Department of Science and Technology (DST) reported on 6 January 2026 a study of W Ursae Majoris (W UMa)-type contact binaries, short-period dumbbell-shaped pairs of stars that share a single outer atmosphere. Astronomers from the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) and the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad, used ARIES's 1.3-m Devasthal Fast Optical Telescope (DFOT) and NASA's TESS space telescope to build light curves of four such systems. The study, published in the Astrophysical Journal, gives new insight into how binary stars evolve and their eventual fate.
Key facts
- Objects
- Four W Ursae Majoris-type contact binaries
- Institutes
- ARIES (DST) and PRL, Ahmedabad
- Telescopes
- 1.3-m Devasthal Fast Optical Telescope; NASA's TESS
- Journal
- Astrophysical Journal
- Feature
- Two stars share a single outer atmosphere
Practice MCQs 2 questions
W Ursae Majoris (W UMa)-type stars, studied by ARIES and PRL astronomers in a study reported in January 2026, are best described as:
Show answer
Correct answer: C — Short-period contact binaries sharing a single outer atmosphere
PIB (DST): W UMa stars are short-period, dumbbell-shaped binaries in which the two stars are in contact and share a single outer atmosphere.
Consider the following statements about the W UMa contact-binary study reported by DST in January 2026: 1. It used data from ARIES's 1.3-m Devasthal Fast Optical Telescope. 2. It used data from NASA's TESS space telescope. 3. It was carried out by ARIES jointly with the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Show answer
Correct answer: A — 1 and 2 only
PIB (DST): the study used the 1.3-m DFOT and TESS data and was done by ARIES with the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad, not IIA. Statement 3 is wrong.