Why can the lives of close binary stars differ from those of single stars?

Question

Leah Abbate · Accepted Answer

Closed binary star systems have the capability to supernova.

The larger star in a binary system transforms into a red giant before collapsing into a white dwarf. The white dwarf will gather material from the red giant if the stars are close enough together, as in a closed binary system, and the second star will eventually turn into a red giant. The white dwarf will begin to collapse when it gathers enough material to approach the Chandrasekhar limit of 1.44 solar masses. At that point, carbon fusion will begin, quickly consuming a large portion of the star's mass. A type 1a supernova explosion results from this.

John Alexander · Answer

undefined Because of their gravitational interaction, which can modify their evolutionary paths significantly compared to single stars and potentially lead to phenomena like mass transfer, tidal forces, and even mergers, the lives of close binary stars can differ from those of single stars.