What is a Vampire Star (Symbiotic Binary) System?

A Vampire star acts in the same way a supernatural vampire does in that it will suck hydrogen and plasma from a victim and not blood. Eventually, the Vampire star will suck too much out of the victim that the victim will be destroyed or turned into a white dwarf star. It could also possibly explode in a supernova, destroying both stars in the process.

Vampire Stars are also known as Symbiotic Binaries because they are in pairs. The term Vampire Star is more exotic for some and allows people to understand better what is happening. Symbiotic star is the scientific term rather than Vampire star. Vampire stars are also known as a Cataclysmic Variable Star.

The Vampire star will start as the smaller star but, nearing the end of the sucking process will inevitably be the larger of the two. The sucking star, when it has consumed a large amount from its victim, will become a blue star, also known as a blue straggler. As it sucks, it gives the appearance of being a younger star when it's not. The white dwarf star can gain revenge later by sucking back hydrogen from the vampire star.

17 Leporis

The most recently discovered Vampire Star as of 2010 is that of 17 Leporis, a binary star system in the constellation of the Lepus. The released picture by E.S.O. shows two stars, a giant red star and a smaller blue star. The blue star, although smaller, is the hotter of the two stars and is the Vampire Star sucking hydrogen from its victim, the larger neighbour. The colours in the picture have been enhanced for viewing. Though you don't see a stream from one star to the other, it probably uses a different method.

Despite the looks, the blue star is more massive than the red star at 2.7 times the Sun compared to 1.3 times the red. Even though the blue star is smaller, it has more mass than the larger star. This case of vampirism has existed for about 500,000 years and will continue for another 200,000 years. The red star will die first as a white dwarf, with the blue star dying much later. Ref: Wired

According to the European Southern Observatory (E.S.O.), the majority (70%) of massive stars could have a close relationship with a smaller star. As a result of this discovery, the theory of star formation may need to be revised. Ref: Space

Blue Stragglers

When you look at a star cluster, you can generally work out how old the cluster is by the colour of the stars. Blue stars are young, yellow stars are medium, and red stars are old stars. Stars get cooler and move towards the red end of the spectrum as they age. The stars in a cluster are generally all the same age, but there can be blue stragglers inside the cluster, which is evidence of Vampire stars having feasted on other stars.

Blue stars in star clusters stand out from the other stars in the cluster because they look more youthful and younger than the other stars in the cluster. The cause of them looking hotter and bluer than the others is that they suck hydrogen from other stars in the cluster.

Most Blue Stragglers will be in pairs or more. However, scientists have discovered that some Blue Stragglers aren't in a pair. Although the companion star might not be seen, the companion's effect on the main star can be noticed. Scientists discovered some solo Blue Stragglers in NCG 188 in Cepheus. The Blue Stragglers might have fully consumed the companion star and not yet cooled down. Space

Cannibal Star

Although Cannibal and Vampire Stars seem to mean the same thing, authors have been known to use cannibal instead of a vampire. If you want to distinguish them, a Cannibal Star would have consumed its companion star in one go rather than sucking hydrogen from its neighbour. When a star begins its red giant phase, it'll expand, and any nearby stars will be consumed whole rather than in pieces.

Betelgeuse

Betelgeuse, one of the brightest and most well-known stars in the night star, is reckoned to be a Cannibal Star. Betelgeuse is believed to have had a companion star that Betelgeuse consumed either as it expanded and ate it or sucked the life out of it. The theory is that the star rotates faster than it should for its age. It is estimated that consumption occurred about 100,000 years ago, which is quite recent in astronomical terms. Daily Mail

BP Piscium

A lesser known example of a Cannibal Star is that of BP Piscium, a star that is in the constellation of Pisces the fish. The star is an older version of our Sun and is observed to have a disk of gas surrounding it. It's known to be an older star by the chemical composition of the star. It doesn't contain much like Lithium, which younger stars are known to have. New Scientist

It's also been seen that the star has jets shooting in different directions. A disk and jets are normally associated with younger stars, not as old as BP Piscium. The current theory is that the star might have cannibalised a nearby star or planet, and the result is the streams and the disc.

Our Sun in a few billion years, so don't worry, it will probably go the same way as BP Piscium. It will consume the local planets first. Technically speaking, it is not a cannibal, but it will consume the planets as there are no inner stars.

A second round of planetary creation might be in the works long after the deaths of the original planets. Daily Mail