You discover a binary star system in which one member is a15MSᵤn main-sequence star and the other star is a 10MSᵤn giant.How do we believe that a star system such as this might have come to exist?
A)The giant must once have been the more massive star but transferred some of its mass to its companion.
B)Despite the low odds of finding a system with two such massive stars,there is nothing surprising about the fact that such systems exist.
C)The two stars probably were once separate but became a binary when a close encounter allowed their mutual gravity to pull them together.
D)The main-sequence star probably is a pulsating variable star and therefore appears to be less massive than it really is.
E)Although both stars probably formed from the same clump of gas,the more massive one must have had its birth slowed so that it became a main-sequence star millions of years later than its less massive companion.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The giant star, being in a more advanced evolutionary stage despite being less massive, suggests it was initially more massive but transferred some of its mass to its companion. This is a common scenario in binary star systems where mass transfer can significantly alter the evolutionary paths of the stars involved.

You Discover a Binary Star System in Which One Member