Back to today’s briefing

Story perspectives

Hidden White Dwarf Revealed as Gamma-Cas X-Ray Source

3/25/2026

42 6 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

The X-ray emissions from gamma-Cas arise from a hidden white dwarf companion, not the star itself.
This resolves a 50-year debate, since X-rays were once attributed to magnetic interactions.
Researchers using the XRISM telescope tracked hot plasma, which moved along the white dwarf's orbit.
The finding places gamma-Cas in a new class of binary systems and questions how common such systems are among low-mass stars.

1 of 1

Story summary

The X-ray emissions from gamma-Cas arise from a hidden white dwarf companion, not the star itself.
This resolves a 50-year debate, since X-rays were once attributed to magnetic interactions.
Researchers using the XRISM telescope tracked hot plasma, which moved along the white dwarf's orbit.
The finding places gamma-Cas in a new class of binary systems and questions how common such systems are among low-mass stars.