Listen to this articleThere will be no articles this week. So instead, here is a video showing an oversimplified simulation of a head on star collision. New articles will come out in the next two weeks.
Software used: Link
Simulating a head on star collision
The simulation starts off with two stars that are 33 times the mass of the sun. The distance between both stars at the start of the simulation is 7 AU. Each star starts with no velocity and begins to accelerate towards each other.
Around each star is a disk of 200 minor planets that start off in circular orbits between distances of 0.45 AU and 0.95 AU from their respective stars.
As the stars approach each other, their gravitational pull becomes stronger. This causes their rate of acceleration to increase.
As both stars move into each other’s disk, they pull minor planets into retro grade orbits around them. The gravity of both stars cause some of the minor planets to collide with either one of the two stars. This gravitational interaction also throws out other minor planets.
Most of the minor planets remain as part of their original disk which by this time has become warped by the gravity of the other star.
When both star collides with each other, the remains of their disk continues to move initially. The gravity of the new star causes them to form two streams of material in the shape of spirals. This is reminiscent of a galactic collision.
These spirals initially spread out due to the momentum of objects in the original disks. However, gravity begins to pull them back towards the star. Minor planets in the spirals closest to the star begin falling in first. Later, the minor planets further out begin to fall in too.
The spiral structure eventually dissipates leaving behind an elliptical shaped disk with significant numbers of minor planets orbiting the new star in highly elliptical retrograded orbits.