Cosmic Serpent
ESO's VLT has spotted a magnificent serpent in our galaxy.
This system of violently swirling dust surrounding a binary star is nicknamed Apep...
...after a serpentine Egyptian deity embodying chaos.
The inner stars of the system are spinning so fast that they are nearly tearing themselves apart, creating this majestic pinwheel of dust.
Apep has an explosive future ahead of it...
...it will likely end up as the source of a long-duration gamma ray burst, which are among the most powerful explosions in the Universe.
Though they last only between a few seconds and a few hours...
...these extraordinary events release as much energy as our Sun will in its entire lifetime.
Transcribed by ESO; Translated by —