Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have created a unique time-lapse of R Aquari's dynamic behavior from observations spanning 2014 to 2023.
The two stars in the R Aquarii binary system are approximately 1.6 billion miles apart. Image credits: NASA / ESA / Matthias Stute / Margarita Karovska / Davide De Martin / Mahdi Zamani / N. Bartmann, ESA, Hubble.
Located 650 light years away, R Aquary is a so-called symbiotic binary, consisting of two stars surrounded by a large, dynamic cloud of gas.
Such binaries contain two stars in an unequal and complex relationship: a white dwarf and a red giant.
In a disturbing act of stellar cannibalism, white dwarfs are stripping material from their larger companions.
Suffering red giants and unstable white dwarfs occasionally eject material in strange eruptions, loops, and trajectories.
“The twisted outflow of stars makes the region look like an out-of-control lawn sprinkler,” Hubble astronomers said in a statement.
“This dramatically shows how the universe redistributes the products of nuclear energy that form deep inside stars and are jetted out into space.”
“Aquarius R belongs to a class of double stars called symbiotic stars,” they added.
“The host star is an aging red giant star, and its companion star is a compact, burnt-out star known as a white dwarf.”
“The red giant star is mira variable It is more than 400 times larger than the Sun. ”
“The expanded monster star pulsates, changes temperature, and changes brightness by a factor of 750 over a period of approximately 390 days.”
“At its peak, the star is blindingly bright, about 5,000 times brighter than the Sun.”
“When the white dwarf comes closest to the red giant star during its 44-year orbit, it gravitationally sucks out hydrogen gas.”
“This material accumulates on the surface of the dwarf star until spontaneous nuclear fusion occurs, causing the surface to explode like a giant hydrogen bomb.”
“After the explosion, the fueling cycle begins again.”
“This explosion causes geyser-like filaments to erupt from the core, forming strange loops and trajectories as the plasma emerges as a streamer.”
“The plasma is twisted by the force of the explosion and guided upwards and outwards by a strong magnetic field.”
“The outflow appears to be folded into a spiral pattern.”
“Plasma is ejecting into space at more than 1.6 million km (1 million miles) per hour, which is fast enough to travel from Earth to the Moon in 15 minutes.”
“The filament glows in visible light because it is energized by intense radiation from the star.”
Source: www.sci.news
