![Stellar radial velocity curve for DY Cen. The deviations of observations to the computed fit for the best orbital parameters are shown in the bottom. The notation of the observations is shown in the inset. Stellar radial velocity curve for DY Cen. The deviations of observations to the computed fit for the best orbital parameters are shown in the bottom. The notation of the observations is shown in the inset.](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_square_2_2_to_320px/public/images/news/resultados106_111.jpg?itok=zF2zlHpa)
The stellar origin of the extremely hydrogen-deficient R Coronae Borealis (RCB) stars has remained a mystery for astronomers since their discovery more than two hundred years ago. Two competing scenarios are commonly advocated. In the first one, a final helium shell flash occurs on a cooling white dwarf star or a very late thermal pulse is experienced by a post-AGB star. The second scenario involves the merger of two white dwarfs: a carbon–oxygen white dwarf accretes ahelium white dwarf. Evidence from the chemical compositions of RCB stars suggests that most are products of a merger
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