Contracting white dwarf observed for the first time

Astrophysicists from MSU (Russia) and colleagues from Italy and Russian Academy of Sciences have found the first observational evidence for a contracting white dwarf. Constant high spin-up rate of a star of this type, located in an enigmatic binary system, can be easily explained if the white dwarf is contracting, the researchers argue. The discovery is reported in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.