![]() ![]() ![]() Such a small radius implies that the star’s mass is close to the maximum white dwarf mass, or Chandrasekhar mass. Here we report observations of a white dwarf, ZTF J190132.9+145808.7, that exhibits these properties, but to an extreme: a rotation period of 6.94 minutes, a magnetic field ranging between 600 megagauss and 900 megagauss over its surface, and a stellar radius of \(\) kilometres, only slightly larger than the radius of the Moon. In the latter case, the white dwarf remnant is expected to be highly magnetized 5, 6 because of the strong magnetic dynamo that should arise during the merger, and be rapidly spinning from the conservation of the orbital angular momentum 7. Depending on the component masses, the merger can lead to a supernova of type Ia or result in a massive white dwarf 4. If the orbital period of the binary is short enough, energy losses from gravitational-wave radiation can shrink the orbit until the two white dwarfs come into contact and merge 3. White dwarfs represent the last stage of evolution of stars with mass less than about eight times that of the Sun and, like other stars, are often found in binaries 1, 2. ![]()
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