Ep. 783: Cataclysmic Variable Stars

About this episode

This episode discusses cataclysmic variable stars and the physics behind their violent interactions in binary star systems.

Astronomy Cast Ep. 783: Cataclysmic Variable Stars By Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live on Feb 16, 2026. There are many types of variable stars. Today we're gonna talk about cataclysmic variable stars, which are the result of a white dwarf stealing material from a companion star. And this whole process makes supervillain Pamela happy. Gravity is the weakest force, but on the scales of stars, it is capable of great violence. In this episode, we look at the wild physics of cataclysmic variables: binary star systems where one star is a predatory compact stellar remnant, while the other is a victimized normal star. Image credit: NASA/CXC/M.Weiss This show is supported through people like you on Patreon.com/AstronomyCast In this episode, we'd like to thank: Burry Gowen, Eric Lee, Jeanette Wink, Michael Purcell, Andrew Poelstra, David, David Rossetter, Ed, Gerhard Schwarzer, Jason Kwong, Joe McTee, Sergey Manouilov, Siggi Kemmler, Sergio Sancevero

People in this episode

Hosts: Fraser Cain, Dr. Pamela Gay

Topics covered

• cataclysmic variable stars
• binary star systems
• white dwarf
• stellar remnant
• supervillain physics
• gravity
• variable stars

Keywords

• cataclysmic variable stars
• white dwarf
• binary stars
• stellar physics
• variable stars
• supervillain
• gravity

Sponsors

Patreon

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: NASA, CXC

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