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What it is : The variable binary star R Aquarii and the Cederblad 211 nebula
Where it is:710 light - years aside , in the constellation Aquarius
This Hubble Space Telescope image features the binary star system R Aquarii.
When it was apportion : Oct. 16 , 2024
Why it ’s so particular : Not all stars in the night sky are what they seem . Take R Aquarii , a point of luminosity just about between where Saturn and Jupiter appear in the sky decently now . It ’s two star , not one . That ’s not unusual . accord toSpace.com , around 85 % of star be in binary star system . R Aquarii consist of a monolithic , cool red giant mavin and a heavy , compact , hot white dwarf star . The two stars have a trigger-happy relationship going back century .
Their interaction has caused the red giant principal , which is about 400 times larger thanthe sun , to dim and lighten over 390 Earth day . During that time , it varies in luminosity by a factor of 750 , peaking at 5,000 times the sun ’s luminance and changing temperature .
An uncropped version of the image.
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uranologist call it a varying star , but R Aquarii is also a symbiotic asterisk . The reason for the slow blink is an blowup on the surface of the white dwarf . Hydrogen builds up on the raging surface of the white gnome until it inevitably ignites after spontaneousnuclear fusion , causing an explosive outburst of shine gas . It does that when the two stars are closemouthed to each other , which happens roughly every 44 years .
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That hydrogen - bomb - similar event is called a nova . A alike result in all likelihood created the colorful nebula , called Cederblad 211 , around R Aquarii , whose filaments blast from both remainder of the star organisation and reach over 248 billion miles ( 400 billion kilometers ) into place . During an outburst , blood plasma filaments inject outward at more than 1 million miles per hour ( 1.6 million km / h ) and become sculpt into spiral by impregnable magnetized study .
In addition to this beautiful image of R Aquarii and Cederblad 211 from theHubble Space Telescope , atime - reverting videowas create using five image take from 2014 to 2023 . The video exhibit the system ’s brightness changing over time , offering a swell example of a proficiency known as time - arena astronomy .
For more high-flown space simulacrum , see out ourSpace Photo of the Week archive .
