Scientists have discovered a pair of stars locked in an incredibly close orbit that circle each other once every 51 minutes - and according to the results of a new study, they are only going to speed up.

The universe is a chaotic place when it comes to orbital mechanics. Our solar system, when viewed in relation to the rest of the cosmos, is a little vanilla. We have our central star - the Sun - which is orbited by eight major planets that are in turn are escorted through the heavens by a plethora of moons and rings of varying levels of impressiveness.

However, astronomers have discovered that roughly half of the stellar systems in our Milky Way are actually comprised of multiple stars that are gravitationally bound to one another. The Alpha Centauri system - which is the closest neighboring stellar population to our Sun - is in fact a collection of three stars that orbit one another roughly 4 light-years from Earth.

Stars are among the most massive and dynamic bodies in the universe, and so, naturally, binary star systems can have some pretty extreme characteristics.

In a new study, a team of scientists have discovered a rare pair of stars known as a ‘cataclysmic variable’, which complete a full orbit of one another in less than an hour.

A cataclysmic variable is a system in which a super dense white dwarf star orbits another stellar body similar to our Sun. White dwarfs are the planet-sized cores of stars that have expended their nuclear fuel and thrown off their outer layers.

In a cataclysmic variable system, a super-dense white dwarf orbits a companion star so closely that its gravity allows it to actually steal hydrogen away from the larger stellar body’s atmosphere.

The newly discovered star system, which has been imaginatively named ZTF J1813+4251, was first discovered by researchers pouring over the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) survey. The catalog contains high-resolution images of over a billion stars, and tracks variations in their apparent brightness over time.

Kevin Burdge, one of the authors of the new study published in the scientific journal Nature, used a computer algorithm to sort through the ZTF catalog in order to find flashes in the light signature of distant bodies that would suggest the presence of two closely orbiting stars.

This search flagged up around 1 million stars out of the billion-strong database. ZTF J1813+4251 stood out among the candidates, with the flashes of light from the distant source suggesting that it was a binary system.

Follow-up observations by the powerful Gran Telescopio Canarias in Spain and the W.M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii, discerned the radii, masses, and orbits of the two oddball stars.

It was revealed that ZTF J1813+4251 was likely a cataclysmic variable, made up of a geriatric star roughly the size of Jupiter with a mass the equivalent to 1/10th that of our Sun. This stellar body orbits with an ultra-dense white dwarf, which boasted a mass roughly half as great as our Sun, packed into a space 1/100th its volume, according to a press release from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Incredibly, these two stellar bodies appear to circle one another once every 51 minutes - giving them the shortest orbit of any cataclysmic variable discovered to date.

The researchers took the data on ZTF J1813+4251 and used it to simulate the duo’s likely evolutionary path stretching over one hundred million years into the future. The results suggest that the stars are currently in a transitional phase, wherein the white dwarf is stripping away vast quantities of hydrogen from the atmosphere of the larger star.

This process will likely continue until all that remains is a helium dominated core. Over the next 70 million years this dense core will draw the pair into an even tighter orbital period of just 18 minutes.The results support an earlier study that predicted this behaviour from cataclysmic variables.

Be sure to check out IGN’s science page for more cosmic goodness.

Anthony Wood is a freelance science writer for IGN

Image Credit: Credit: M.Weiss/Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

Scientists have discovered a pair of stars locked in an incredibly close orbit that circle each other once every 51 minutes - and according to the results of a new study, they are only going to speed up.

The universe is a chaotic place when it comes to orbital mechanics. Our solar system, when viewed in relation to the rest of the cosmos, is a little vanilla. We have our central star - the Sun - which is orbited by eight major planets that are in turn are escorted through the heavens by a plethora of moons and rings of varying levels of impressiveness.

However, astronomers have discovered that roughly half of the stellar systems in our Milky Way are actually comprised of multiple stars that are gravitationally bound to one another. The Alpha Centauri system - which is the closest neighboring stellar population to our Sun - is in fact a collection of three stars that orbit one another roughly 4 light-years from Earth.

Stars are among the most massive and dynamic bodies in the universe, and so, naturally, binary star systems can have some pretty extreme characteristics.

In a new study, a team of scientists have discovered a rare pair of stars known as a ‘cataclysmic variable’, which complete a full orbit of one another in less than an hour.

A cataclysmic variable is a system in which a super dense white dwarf star orbits another stellar body similar to our Sun. White dwarfs are the planet-sized cores of stars that have expended their nuclear fuel and thrown off their outer layers.

In a cataclysmic variable system, a super-dense white dwarf orbits a companion star so closely that its gravity allows it to actually steal hydrogen away from the larger stellar body’s atmosphere.

The newly discovered star system, which has been imaginatively named ZTF J1813+4251, was first discovered by researchers pouring over the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) survey. The catalog contains high-resolution images of over a billion stars, and tracks variations in their apparent brightness over time.

Kevin Burdge, one of the authors of the new study published in the scientific journal Nature, used a computer algorithm to sort through the ZTF catalog in order to find flashes in the light signature of distant bodies that would suggest the presence of two closely orbiting stars.

This search flagged up around 1 million stars out of the billion-strong database. ZTF J1813+4251 stood out among the candidates, with the flashes of light from the distant source suggesting that it was a binary system.

Follow-up observations by the powerful Gran Telescopio Canarias in Spain and the W.M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii, discerned the radii, masses, and orbits of the two oddball stars.

It was revealed that ZTF J1813+4251 was likely a cataclysmic variable, made up of a geriatric star roughly the size of Jupiter with a mass the equivalent to 1/10th that of our Sun. This stellar body orbits with an ultra-dense white dwarf, which boasted a mass roughly half as great as our Sun, packed into a space 1/100th its volume, according to a press release from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Incredibly, these two stellar bodies appear to circle one another once every 51 minutes - giving them the shortest orbit of any cataclysmic variable discovered to date.

The researchers took the data on ZTF J1813+4251 and used it to simulate the duo’s likely evolutionary path stretching over one hundred million years into the future. The results suggest that the stars are currently in a transitional phase, wherein the white dwarf is stripping away vast quantities of hydrogen from the atmosphere of the larger star.

This process will likely continue until all that remains is a helium dominated core. Over the next 70 million years this dense core will draw the pair into an even tighter orbital period of just 18 minutes.The results support an earlier study that predicted this behaviour from cataclysmic variables.

Be sure to check out IGN’s science page for more cosmic goodness.

Anthony Wood is a freelance science writer for IGN

Image Credit: Credit: M.Weiss/Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

Brazil’s competition watchdog, the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE) has approved the Microsoft and Activision Blizzard merger without restriction, citing PlayStation’s already dominant position within the video game industry and Nintendo’s ability to compete without relying on franchises such as Call of Duty.

In a long public filing, CADE touched on PlayStation’s portfolio of exclusives, saying, “Investment in exclusive content is, and always has been, very important for the competitive dynamics in the console segment. Exclusive content was, most likely, one of the main factors responsible for positioning the PlayStation as a leader in the world console market for more than two decades, a leadership that continues to this day.”

CADE also mentions that Nintendo employs a similar strategy with exclusive content while noting that Microsoft doesn’t seem to sell as many consoles as PlayStation and Nintendo either. Of course, one of the biggest concerns about Microsoft’s acquisition is the multiplatform status of Call of Duty.

“As already seen, Nintendo does not currently rely on any content from Activision Blizzard to compete in the market,” CADE explains. “In turn, Sony has several attributes - strength of the world's leading brand for more than 20 years, extensive experience in the sector, largest user base, largest install base of consoles, robust catalog of exclusive games, partnerships with multiple publishers, third-party, brand loyal consumers, etc. – which should contribute to maintaining the competitiveness of PlayStation in a possible post-Operation scenario, even in the face of possible loss of access to Activision Blizzard content.”

The watchdog says that it's certainly possible that if Call of Duty were to become exclusive to the Microsoft ecosystem, many PlayStation players would migrate over to Xbox or PC in order to continue having access to the franchise.

Call of Duty would lose players and revenue in the short term due to this strategy, as well as invariably lead many players to favor multiplatform shooters such as Rainbow Six and Battlefield. Even EA CEO Andrew Wilson said a few weeks ago that Call of Duty potentially becoming Microsoft exclusive could benefit the Battlefield franchise.

However, this approach would ultimately lead to more Xbox console sales and Game Pass subscribers down the line, as well as give Microsoft a big competitive edge within the video game market.

Ultimately, CADE concluded that its objective is to protect Brazilian consumers, not the interests of PlayStation's. CADE says, “In this sense, although it is recognized that part of PlayStation users may decide to migrate to Xbox in the event that Activision Blizzard games - and especially Call of Duty - become exclusive to the Microsoft ecosystem, SG/Cade does not believe that such a possibility represents, in itself, a risk to competition in the console market as a whole.”

This is an early hurdle passed for Microsoft, but the acquisition will still face scrutiny from the UK government, various U.S. senators, the city of New York, and the U.S. Justice Department. While stockholders of Activision Blizzard approved the deal in April, there's still much debate on its merits or potential problems.

George Yang is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @yinyangfooey

Brazil’s competition watchdog, the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE) has approved the Microsoft and Activision Blizzard merger without restriction, citing PlayStation’s already dominant position within the video game industry and Nintendo’s ability to compete without relying on franchises such as Call of Duty.

In a long public filing, CADE touched on PlayStation’s portfolio of exclusives, saying, “Investment in exclusive content is, and always has been, very important for the competitive dynamics in the console segment. Exclusive content was, most likely, one of the main factors responsible for positioning the PlayStation as a leader in the world console market for more than two decades, a leadership that continues to this day.”

CADE also mentions that Nintendo employs a similar strategy with exclusive content while noting that Microsoft doesn’t seem to sell as many consoles as PlayStation and Nintendo either. Of course, one of the biggest concerns about Microsoft’s acquisition is the multiplatform status of Call of Duty.

“As already seen, Nintendo does not currently rely on any content from Activision Blizzard to compete in the market,” CADE explains. “In turn, Sony has several attributes - strength of the world's leading brand for more than 20 years, extensive experience in the sector, largest user base, largest install base of consoles, robust catalog of exclusive games, partnerships with multiple publishers, third-party, brand loyal consumers, etc. – which should contribute to maintaining the competitiveness of PlayStation in a possible post-Operation scenario, even in the face of possible loss of access to Activision Blizzard content.”

The watchdog says that it's certainly possible that if Call of Duty were to become exclusive to the Microsoft ecosystem, many PlayStation players would migrate over to Xbox or PC in order to continue having access to the franchise.

Call of Duty would lose players and revenue in the short term due to this strategy, as well as invariably lead many players to favor multiplatform shooters such as Rainbow Six and Battlefield. Even EA CEO Andrew Wilson said a few weeks ago that Call of Duty potentially becoming Microsoft exclusive could benefit the Battlefield franchise.

However, this approach would ultimately lead to more Xbox console sales and Game Pass subscribers down the line, as well as give Microsoft a big competitive edge within the video game market.

Ultimately, CADE concluded that its objective is to protect Brazilian consumers, not the interests of PlayStation's. CADE says, “In this sense, although it is recognized that part of PlayStation users may decide to migrate to Xbox in the event that Activision Blizzard games - and especially Call of Duty - become exclusive to the Microsoft ecosystem, SG/Cade does not believe that such a possibility represents, in itself, a risk to competition in the console market as a whole.”

This is an early hurdle passed for Microsoft, but the acquisition will still face scrutiny from the UK government, various U.S. senators, the city of New York, and the U.S. Justice Department. While stockholders of Activision Blizzard approved the deal in April, there's still much debate on its merits or potential problems.

George Yang is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @yinyangfooey

Martin Luiga, the ex-developer of Disco Elysium that brought attention to key figures being 'involuntarily' forced out of the studio, says he thinks it's unlikely that ZA/UM Studio will make a sequel to the modern classic RPG.

Speaking to GamePressure, Luiga was somewhat cagey about the circumstances of the departures of Robert Kurvitz, Helen Hindpere and Aleksander Rostov, but said he doen't believe the remaining developers at the studio will make a Disco Elysium 2:

"I think ZA/UM Studio in its current form will not be developing the sequel and I am unsure of the number of people that left in the company who also worked on the original Disco."

ZA/UM's own response to the news did mention a new project in development, but pointedly did not make clear whether it was a Disco Elysium follow-up. We've contacted ZA/UM for comment. [Update: ZA/UM declined to comment on this story.]

The fallout from Luiga's original message - which announced the dissolution of the ZA/UM cultural association, an arts collective that spawned the studio and Disco Elysium - has seen some fans turn on the developers who remain at the studio, something he doesn't support:

"I do think though that it doesn't make sense to be offensive against the current workers of the company. It is unlikely to change their positions. The managers have a way of making people trust them. Robert (Kurvitz) and others had complete trust in them until it was too late. It pays to remain polite, even if it's hard – and I know that I have not been a very striking example at times."

Luiga also said that he believes Rostov, Hindpere and Kurvitz will stay in the industry post-ZA/UM, and is deciding his own future: "I think the three will continue making games, as for myself, I haven't decided the level of my involvement as of yet. Right now, it is mostly the phase of pondering ideas and managing our problems."

Luiga made clear that he isn't disclosing all he knows about the situation, seemingly due to fear of legal reprisal, but said that the three key developers were "fired on false premises and the entire ordeal has been very traumatizing for both them and people close to them."

The future of Disco Elysium will be a sore spot for many fans. In our rare 10/10 review of Disco Elysium - The Final Cut, we said that it is a "unique blend of noir-detective fiction, traditional pen-and-paper RPGs, and a large helping of existentialist theory," and the Final Cut elevates the game from "an already phenomenal RPG to a true must-play masterpiece."

Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Martin Luiga, the ex-developer of Disco Elysium that brought attention to key figures being 'involuntarily' forced out of the studio, says he thinks it's unlikely that ZA/UM Studio will make a sequel to the modern classic RPG.

Speaking to GamePressure, Luiga was somewhat cagey about the circumstances of the departures of Robert Kurvitz, Helen Hindpere and Aleksander Rostov, but said he doen't believe the remaining developers at the studio will make a Disco Elysium 2:

"I think ZA/UM Studio in its current form will not be developing the sequel and I am unsure of the number of people that left in the company who also worked on the original Disco."

ZA/UM's own response to the news did mention a new project in development, but pointedly did not make clear whether it was a Disco Elysium follow-up. We've contacted ZA/UM for comment. [Update: ZA/UM declined to comment on this story.]

The fallout from Luiga's original message - which announced the dissolution of the ZA/UM cultural association, an arts collective that spawned the studio and Disco Elysium - has seen some fans turn on the developers who remain at the studio, something he doesn't support:

"I do think though that it doesn't make sense to be offensive against the current workers of the company. It is unlikely to change their positions. The managers have a way of making people trust them. Robert (Kurvitz) and others had complete trust in them until it was too late. It pays to remain polite, even if it's hard – and I know that I have not been a very striking example at times."

Luiga also said that he believes Rostov, Hindpere and Kurvitz will stay in the industry post-ZA/UM, and is deciding his own future: "I think the three will continue making games, as for myself, I haven't decided the level of my involvement as of yet. Right now, it is mostly the phase of pondering ideas and managing our problems."

Luiga made clear that he isn't disclosing all he knows about the situation, seemingly due to fear of legal reprisal, but said that the three key developers were "fired on false premises and the entire ordeal has been very traumatizing for both them and people close to them."

The future of Disco Elysium will be a sore spot for many fans. In our rare 10/10 review of Disco Elysium - The Final Cut, we said that it is a "unique blend of noir-detective fiction, traditional pen-and-paper RPGs, and a large helping of existentialist theory," and the Final Cut elevates the game from "an already phenomenal RPG to a true must-play masterpiece."

Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

The wait is over. Google has fully revealed the Pixel Watch after teasing the wearable at its I/O event last May.

The Pixel Watch features a circular dome design with a crown located on the right side of the watch. Google claims the Pixel Watch's battery life is estimated to run for 24 hours on a single charge. Google Pixel Watch features Fitbit integration, allowing the wearable to provide many health and fitness features, including what Google touts as its most "accurate heart rate tracking yet." Fall detection will also arrive sometime next year.

The Pixel Watch is available in three colors: Black, Silver, and Gold. The Pixel Watch will cost $349.99 for the Wi-Fi-only model, while the cellular model costs $399.99. A competitive price compared to other wearables on the market, such as the recently-announced Apple Watch ultra or the Series 8. Google also confirmed that every Pixel Watch will include six months of Fitbit Premium and three months of YouTube Music Premium.

Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

The wait is over. Google has fully revealed the Pixel Watch after teasing the wearable at its I/O event last May.

The Pixel Watch features a circular dome design with a crown located on the right side of the watch. Google claims the Pixel Watch's battery life is estimated to run for 24 hours on a single charge. Google Pixel Watch features Fitbit integration, allowing the wearable to provide many health and fitness features, including what Google touts as its most "accurate heart rate tracking yet." Fall detection will also arrive sometime next year.

The Pixel Watch is available in three colors: Black, Silver, and Gold. The Pixel Watch will cost $349.99 for the Wi-Fi-only model, while the cellular model costs $399.99. A competitive price compared to other wearables on the market, such as the recently-announced Apple Watch ultra or the Series 8. Google also confirmed that every Pixel Watch will include six months of Fitbit Premium and three months of YouTube Music Premium.

Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

The developers behind Moonbreaker have released an update that removes the Cargo Run Contracts system from the game, giving players unlimited access to the PvE mode.

The update was announced in a post on Moonbreaker's Steam page, where the team extended their gratitude to the community for their support during the game's Early Access launch. They assured players that they were making adjustments to address some of the initial concerns that had been raised, specifically the use of Contracts to play Cargo Run.

"While our intent was always for players to be able to earn enough Blanks during Cargo Run to continually unlock additional Contracts to play, we understand the community's collective frustration that this mode felt gated and the desire to have any possible limitation removed," the post read before announcing an update that would remove the controversial feature.

The team explained that players who purchased Cargo Run Contracts using Pulsars or Blanks before this change will be refunded as soon as possible and will receive the full amount of the relevant in-game currency used to redeem any Contracts, while players that had Cargo Run Contracts in their inventory will receive 10 Blanks per Contract as part of the update.

This update was rolled out alongside several other improvements and bug fixes that the team have made following Moonbreaker's launch into Early Access. Players have been exploring the Reaches of the digital tabletop strategy game during its first week of release, with many already starting to build up their armies from a huge selection of units that are available.

IGN's Matt Purslow had the chance to play Moonbreaker at Gamescom 2022, and noted that the game has "tremendous promise" as it delivers "everything you'd expect of a miniatures game; a robust rule set for turn-based combat, simple tactical choices that build into deep strategies, and a collection of very cool miniatures split into colourful different factions."

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

The developers behind Moonbreaker have released an update that removes the Cargo Run Contracts system from the game, giving players unlimited access to the PvE mode.

The update was announced in a post on Moonbreaker's Steam page, where the team extended their gratitude to the community for their support during the game's Early Access launch. They assured players that they were making adjustments to address some of the initial concerns that had been raised, specifically the use of Contracts to play Cargo Run.

"While our intent was always for players to be able to earn enough Blanks during Cargo Run to continually unlock additional Contracts to play, we understand the community's collective frustration that this mode felt gated and the desire to have any possible limitation removed," the post read before announcing an update that would remove the controversial feature.

The team explained that players who purchased Cargo Run Contracts using Pulsars or Blanks before this change will be refunded as soon as possible and will receive the full amount of the relevant in-game currency used to redeem any Contracts, while players that had Cargo Run Contracts in their inventory will receive 10 Blanks per Contract as part of the update.

This update was rolled out alongside several other improvements and bug fixes that the team have made following Moonbreaker's launch into Early Access. Players have been exploring the Reaches of the digital tabletop strategy game during its first week of release, with many already starting to build up their armies from a huge selection of units that are available.

IGN's Matt Purslow had the chance to play Moonbreaker at Gamescom 2022, and noted that the game has "tremendous promise" as it delivers "everything you'd expect of a miniatures game; a robust rule set for turn-based combat, simple tactical choices that build into deep strategies, and a collection of very cool miniatures split into colourful different factions."

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.