# IUCAA-led team finds fastest-spiralling white dwarf binary 2026-08-12T19:44:21+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet An international team led by astronomers from IUCAA Pune has discovered a pair of white dwarfs that orbit each other every six minutes and are spiralling inward faster than almost any other known system. The study, published on August 10 in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, used data from the Einstein Probe mission, NASA's NICER telescope, and XMM-Newton observatory over three-and-a-half years. The system, eRASSU J0608, was first spotted by the SRG eROSITA all-sky survey. White dwarfs are dense stellar remnants the size of Earth but containing a star's mass. In this ultracompact binary, material may flow directly onto the companion's surface, heating it beyond a million degrees Celsius. The rapid orbital decay is driven by gravitational waves. The estimated chirp mass of 0.43 solar masses makes it a promising verification source for the European Space Agency's future LISA mission, slated to launch in the next decade. ## Coverage - hindustantimes.com Tags: binary stars, Einstein Probe, gravitational waves, IUCAA, Lisa, white dwarfs Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/iucaa-led-team-finds-fastest-spiralling-white-dwarf-binary/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/iucaa-led-team-finds-fastest-spiralling-white-dwarf-binary/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.