Searching for Colliding Stars: Has the Phenomena Ever Been Observed?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers on the observation and modeling of colliding stars, exploring whether such phenomena have been witnessed and the implications of star collisions in astrophysics. It includes theoretical considerations, observational evidence, and related phenomena such as mass transfer and gamma-ray bursts.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants note that star collisions are extraordinarily rare due to the vastness of space, with inspiralling binary systems being a common occurrence that takes a long time to develop.
  • There is mention of "blue stragglers" in clusters, which may relate to the concept of mass transfer rather than direct collisions.
  • One participant suggests that "collision" is a special case of mass transfer, which occurs frequently in stellar interactions.
  • Questions are raised about whether anyone has modeled stellar collisions involving stars of reasonably close mass.
  • Gamma-ray bursts are discussed as potential products of neutron star collisions, although these are not typically head-on due to low probabilities of such interactions.
  • A participant expresses fascination with the simulations of neutron star mergers, noting the significant computational effort involved in creating these models.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of views on the rarity of star collisions and the nature of related phenomena, indicating that multiple competing perspectives exist without a clear consensus on the specifics of stellar collisions.

Contextual Notes

The discussion includes assumptions about the nature of star collisions and mass transfer, as well as the limitations of current observational data regarding these events.

Who May Find This Useful

Readers interested in astrophysics, particularly in the dynamics of stellar interactions, gamma-ray bursts, and the theoretical modeling of stellar phenomena.

thetexan
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Are there any known examples of colliding stars? has the phenomena ever been observed?

tex
 
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Star collisions are extraordinarily rare [space is really big]. The most common of such events is called an inspiralling binary system, which takes a very long time to occur.
 
You also have a phenomenon call "blue stragglers" in clusters.

Note that "collision" is really only a special case of "mass transfer", which we see all the time.
 
Vanadium 50 said:
You also have a phenomenon call "blue stragglers" in clusters.

Note that "collision" is really only a special case of "mass transfer", which we see all the time.

I like to call it "Head-On Mass Transfer". Remember to buckle up.
 
Globular cluster stars are more likely to mass-transfer that way.
 
Has anyone ever modeled a stellar collision between stars of reasonably close mass
 
Gamma-ray bursts, a great high-energy flashes observed every day in the sky, are thought to be the pruducts of collision between two neutron stars. It is not a head-on collision (due to a very low probability of such an interaction), but it is a hot topic in astrophysics now.

Here's a great introductory video about it. Not very relevant to head-on stuff, but hey, we all love big explosions, right?

Edit: LVP_man, there are simulations in that link, and I'd guess the stars are of equal mass.
 
stargazer3 said:
Gamma-ray bursts, a great high-energy flashes observed every day in the sky, are thought to be the pruducts of collision between two neutron stars. It is not a head-on collision (due to a very low probability of such an interaction), but it is a hot topic in astrophysics now.

Here's a great introductory video about it. Not very relevant to head-on stuff, but hey, we all love big explosions, right?

Edit: LVP_man, there are simulations in that link, and I'd guess the stars are of equal mass.

That was a very interesting video, amazing it took six weeks of computing time to create the simulation of the merger event between two neutron stars
 
wow that was an amazing clip...
i presume the neutron stars would be revolving around each other at almost relativistic speeds..
what a thought...
 

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