Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

Explosions from White Dwarf Star RS Oph

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for August 22, 2021 is “Explosions from White Dwarf Star RS Oph,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Illustration Credit & Copyright: David A. Hardy & PPARC). The original explanation runs about 179 words.

The picture shows an illustration of binary star system RS Ophiuchus during a nova-causing explosion. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
Credit: Illustration Credit & Copyright: David A. Hardy & PPARC Copyrighted Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“Spectacular explosions keep occurring in the binary star system named RS Ophiuchi . Every 20 years or so, the red giant star dumps enough hydrogen gas onto its companion white dwarf star to set off a brilliant thermonuclear explosion on the white dwarf ‘s surface.”

— APOD editors, August 22, 2021

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
August 22, 2021
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Illustration Credit & Copyright: David A. Hardy & PPARC
Copyright
Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 179 words

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Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.