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Helium-burning pre-white dwarf in the constellation Cassiopeia
KPD 0005+5106 is a helium-rich white dwarf located 1,350 light-years from Earth. As a "pre-white dwarf", it is believed to still be in the helium-burning phase, just before nuclear fusion finally stops. It is one of the hottest known white dwarfs, with a temperature of 200,000 K.
Possible companion object
KPD 0005+5106 has been observed to emit high-energy X-rays that regularly increase and descrease in luminosity every 4 hours and 42 minutes. This indicates that the star possibly has a companion orbiting it. Simulations show that a Jupiter-mass object can exceed the roche lobe and is the more likely companion for KPD 0005+5106. The white dwarf pulls material from its companion into a disk around itself, before it slams into its north and south poles. The concentration of material at the poles causes the creation of two bright spots emitting high-energy X-rays.
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