Wide-field View: Area around Dead White Dwarf Star RXJ0528+2838
This image from the Digitized Sky Survey (DSS) shows the region of the sky around the dead star RXJ0528+2838, located at the very center of the image.
Image Description: This image shows the night sky, filled with blue- and orange-colored stars. Most of the stars are small dots, but several are larger and have four visible diffraction spikes. The star, called RXJ0528+2838, is a white dwarf in a binary system with a Sun-like star orbiting it. It is 730 light-years away from planet Earth.
New images from the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope show shock waves around the dead star RXJ0528+2838. When a star moves through space it can push away nearby material creating a so-called bow shock that is glowing in red, green and blue in this image. The colors represent hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen, respectively. These shocks are usually produced by a strong outflow expelled from the star. However, in the case of RXJ0528+2838––a white dwarf with a Sun-like companion––astronomers discovered that the shock wave cannot be explained by any known mechanism. A hidden energy source, perhaps magnetic fields, could be the answer to this mystery.
Acknowledgement: D. De Martin
Release Date: Jan. 12, 2026
#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #WhiteDwarfStars #RXSJ0528325283824 #BowShocks #CircumstellarMaterial #BinaryStarSystems #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #DSS2 #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education
No comments:
Post a Comment