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Chinese astronomers find a real three-star system
The system, called J0435+3233, was first detected by China's FAST telescope in twenty twenty, and its lightest star will eventually become a second white dwarf.
On air: Gloria Vance and Kenji Moonfield on BBN After HoursPublished
Photo: Henry Söderlund · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBNWatch it as it aired: Gloria Vance and Kenji Moonfield on this story, from BBN After Hours at 3:40 AM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are South China Morning Post's, the jokes are ours.
At a glance
- First reported by South China Morning Post: “Chinese astronomers find real 3-body system. It is not what Liu Cixin thinks”, with reporting from Xinhua.
- Covered on BBN on Friday, October 23, 2026, at 3:40 AM ET on BBN After Hours, by Gloria Vance and Kenji Moonfield.
- Topics: Chinese.
- BBN covered this story before: Hidden odd-scaled snake from Chinese mountains is a new species (October 18).
The real story
The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.
- South China Morning PostChinese astronomers find real 3-body system. It is not what Liu Cixin thinks
- XinhuaChina's FAST telescope identifies pulsar as part of evolving primordial triple star system-Xinhua October 9, 2026 · facts used on air
What BBN said about it
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorChinese astronomers have found a real three-body star system, and the South China Morning Post notes it is not what the novelist Liu Cixin imagined.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorA pulsar spins three hundred times a second, circling a white dwarf every eight days.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentAnd the third star?
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorIt laps the pair once every seventy-three and a half years, and researchers say its gravity is slowing the pulsar a hundred times faster than comparable ones.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentIt shows up once a lifetime and still changes the whole group.
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Photo: xiangyang17 · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Guillaume Paumier · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
Photo: Nokota_Horses.jpg : François Marchal derivative work:… · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
The story so far
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- Chinese pottery found in Great Zimbabwe, showing far-reaching trade… · Live Science
- Alleged Chinese agent has ties to overseas scam group · CBS News
- Chinese ultrarunner's knee pain fades on 20,000km Silk Road trek · South China Morning Post
- Hidden odd-scaled snake from Chinese mountains is a new species · Bioengineer.org
- Chinese astronomers find a real three-star system (this story)
From the archive: everything BBN aired on Friday, October 23, 2026 · the World archive · all months
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