NASA's Hubble Telescope captures mesmerising colourful eruption of a 'stellar volcano'
The cosmos has once again dazzled us! The Hubble Space Telescope recently revealed a striking image of two stars locked in a fascinating dance. This captivating nebula showcases the intricate relationship of these celestial neighbours, a tale centuries in the making.
The hourglass-shaped nebula forms from the interaction between two distinct stars. One is a compact white dwarf, while the other is a massive red giant. This red giant is over 400 times larger than our sun and has a brightness that fluctuates over a 387-day cycle.
Located about 710 light-years from Earth, this star system is called R Aquarii. It is classified as a symbiotic variable star, a term that mirrors biological symbiosis. This means two different stars exist close together and interact continuously.
Explosive Outbursts: The Dynamics of Stellar Evolution
The white dwarf orbits the red giant every 44 years. During this orbit, it siphons material from its larger partner, occasionally causing explosive outbursts. These explosions resemble "gigantic hydrogen bombs," according to the Hubble team. When these eruptions occur, they release glowing gas streamers into space, reminiscent of "a lawn sprinkler gone berserk."
The ejected material travels at astonishing speeds. It can shoot out into space at over 1 million mph. This speed is fast enough to reach the moon in just 15 minutes!
Redistributing Elements: The Building Blocks of Life
Scientists highlight how these cosmic events redistribute essential elements. They release heavier elements like carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen, which are vital for planets and life as we know it. R Aquarii is one of the nearest symbiotic stars, attracting attention from astronomers. The Hubble telescope began observing this star system shortly after its launch in 1990.
In the years following, the Chandra X-ray Observatory also monitored this region. It studied changes in X-ray emissions, particularly from the nebula's knotted jet and its shockwaves. Based on these observations, researchers believe the white dwarf last erupted in the late 1970s. This implies that the next explosion might not happen until the 2470s.
Hubble's latest images show the ejected material forming a spiral pattern. This twisting is caused by the explosion's sheer force and powerful magnetic fields pushing the material outward.
Astronomers have traced the emitted material to at least 248 billion miles from R Aquarii. This distance is an impressive 24 times the diameter of our solar system. According to the Hubble team, this is “extraordinary even in astronomical terms.”
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