Astronomers utilizing ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) have captured stunning shock waves surrounding the white dwarf star 1RXS J052832.5+283824 (commonly known as RXJ0528+2838). This extraordinary phenomenon challenges existing astrophysical models and has the potential to transform our understanding of stellar evolution.
Image credit: ESO / Iłkiewicz et al. showcasing the shockwave around the white dwarf RXJ0528+2838, captured by the MUSE instrument of ESO’s VLT.
Located approximately 730 light-years away in the constellation Auriga, RXJ0528+2838 orbits the center of the Milky Way, similar to our Sun and other stars.
According to Dr. Noel Castro-Segura from the University of Warwick, “As the white dwarf traverses space, it interacts with interstellar gas, causing a type of shock wave known as a bow shock, which resembles a wave building up in front of a moving ship.”
Interestingly, while bow shocks are typically produced by material expelled from the star, the mechanisms observed in RXJ0528+2838 remain unexplained.
RXJ0528+2838 is part of a binary system, with a sun-like companion star. In such systems, gas is often transferred to the white dwarf, creating an accretion disk. However, this disk appears absent, leading to questions about the source of the observed outflow and the surrounding nebula.
Dr. Simone Scaringi from Durham University expressed: “The fact that a seemingly quiet, diskless system could produce such an impressive nebula was a remarkable surprise.”
Astronomers initially identified an unusual nebula around RXJ0528+2838 through images captured by the Isaac Newton Telescope in Spain, prompting further investigation with the MUSE instrument at VLT.
The size and shape of the bow shock indicate that the white dwarf has been generating significant outflows for over 1,000 years.
Although the exact mechanism for such a prolonged outflow from a diskless white dwarf is still under investigation, scientists speculate that RXJ0528+2838 possesses a strong magnetic field, evidenced by MUSE data.
This magnetic field may funnel material directly from the companion star to the white dwarf, bypassing the formation of an accretion disk.
Dr. Christian Ikiewicz from the Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Center remarked, “Our findings indicate that diskless systems can still produce powerful outflows, revealing complex interactions that challenge traditional binary star models.”
While the detected magnetic field can sustain a bow shock for hundreds of years, it only partially accounts for the phenomena observed.
“We’ve uncovered something unprecedented and unexpectedly remarkable,” Dr. Scaringi noted.
For further reading on this groundbreaking discovery, refer to the published paper in the journal Nature Astronomy.
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K. Iwkiewicz et al. Persistent bow shock in a diskless magnetized accreting white dwarf. Nat Astron, published online on January 12, 2026. doi: 10.1038/s41550-025-02748-8
Source: www.sci.news
