Astronomy Cast Ep. 783: Cataclysmic Variable Stars
2/23/202631 min
Astronomy Cast Ep. 783: Cataclysmic Variable Stars By Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live on Feb 16, 2026. There are many types of variable stars. Today we're gonna talk about cataclysmic variable stars, which are the result of a white dwarf stealing material from a companion star. And this whole process makes supervillain Pamela happy. Gravity is the weakest force, but on the scales of stars, it is capable of great violence. In this episode, we look at the wild physics of cataclysmic variables: binary star systems where one star is a predatory compact stellar remnant, while the other is a victimized...
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First 90 secondsFraser Cain· Host0:00
[on-hold music] Astronomy Cast, episode 783: Cataclysmic Variable Stars. Welcome to Astronomy Cast, our weekly facts-based journey through the cosmos where we help you understand not only what we know, but how we know what we know. I'm Fraser Cain. I'm the publisher of Universe Today. With me, as always, is Dr. Pamela Gay, a senior scientist for the Planetary Science Institute and the director of CosmoQuest. Hey, Pamela, how you doing?
Pamela Gay· Host1:11
I, I am much less sniffly than I was last time we recorded.
Fraser Cain· Host1:14
Yeah, better living through chemistry.
Pamela Gay· Host1:15
Yes. [laughs] Yeah. So, so Rich, you're my hero. Uh- [laughs] There was so much sniffling that had to be- Yes ... removed from our last episode. I broke down, I got the actual Sudafed. And thank you everyone who sent me well wishes