ALMA watches massive binary star system form in real time

Astronomers used ALMA to observe two young massive stars in system IRAS 07299−1651 for nearly eight years, revealing they formed separately then drew together through gravitational interaction rather than from a single disk. The stars follow a highly elongated orbit with tilted gas disks, challenging traditional formation models and offering new insights into how close massive binaries assemble.

For the first time, we were able to watch two massive stars move around one another while they were still being born.