![An image obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope of the planetary nebula M3-1, the central star of which is actually a binary system with one of the shortest orbital periods known. Credit: David Jones / Daniel López - IAC. An image obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope of the planetary nebula M3-1, the central star of which is actually a binary system with one of the shortest orbital periods known. Credit: David Jones / Daniel López - IAC.](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_square_2_2_to_320px/public/images/gallery/news/prensa1428_3292.jpg?itok=xmQW-OLM)
The newly discovered binary system has one of the shortest orbital periods ever seen inside a planetary nebula. The findings of the study, led by the IAC and published in MNRAS letters, reveal that the interaction between the two stars could quickly lead to a nova explosion, something which is not predicted by theories of binary evolution.
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