The Little Star That Survived a Supernova

The progenitor of LP40-365 could be a binary star system like the one shown in this animation. Here, an ultra-massive and compact dead star called a white dwarf (shown as a small white star) is accreting matter from its giant companion (the larger red star). The material escapes from the giant and forms an accretion disk around the white dwarf. Once enough material is accreted onto the white dwarf, a violent thermonuclear runaway tears it apart and destroys the entire system. The giant star and the surviving fragment of the white dwarf are flung into space at tremendous speeds. The surviving white dwarf shrapnel hurtles towards our region of the Galaxy, where its radiation is detected by ground based telescopes.