An international research team led by MIT identified a binary system, ZTF J0440+2325, located 300 light-years from Earth. The system consists of a low-mass star and a brown dwarf, which orbit each other every 87 minutes.
The brown dwarf has a mass approximately 25 times that of Jupiter, while the star is about 85 times the mass of Jupiter. The entire orbit of the brown dwarf fits within the diameter of the Sun.
Researchers observed a triangular brightness curve caused by a hot spot on the star, created as it slowly accretes material from the brown dwarf. Unlike typical systems with accretion disks, material here falls directly onto the star's surface.
The brown dwarf loses mass at a rate of roughly one-hundred-thousandth of Earth's mass per year. This process is stable and slow, with researchers estimating it could continue for billions of years.
The study, published in Nature Astronomy, confirms this as the first direct observation of a low-mass star steadily consuming material from a low-mass companion, offering a new perspective on stellar evolution.
