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Hubble Observes Dying Star System to Test Gravity

11/26/2025

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Summary

Story summary

ZTF J2130, a binary star system about 4,000 light-years away, was observed by the Hubble Space Telescope to test gravity.
Its white dwarf and subdwarf orbit in a death spiral, decaying by two trillionths of a second per second.
In the 2030s, Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) will measure the system’s gravitational waves.

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Story summary

ZTF J2130, a binary star system about 4,000 light-years away, was observed by the Hubble Space Telescope to test gravity.
Its white dwarf and subdwarf orbit in a death spiral, decaying by two trillionths of a second per second.
In the 2030s, Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) will measure the system’s gravitational waves.