Two stars the size of Earth headed towards an explosion - what we know
An illustration shows a white dwarf star at the moment of its explosion (via REUTERS)
Astronomers discovered two Earth-sized white dwarf stars 160 light-years away, orbiting each other and headed for a series of explosions.
The stars, remnants of stars like our sun, will eventually collide due to their close proximity and strong gravitational pull.
This collision will trigger four separate explosions, culminating in a type 1a supernova.
The final explosion is predicted to occur in approximately 22.6 billion years and will briefly outshine the moon in Earth's night sky (if Earth still exists).
This discovery provides insights into the explosive fate of some of the universe's most intriguing objects.