Dancing with the Enemy
ESO's Very Large Telescope has captured the binary star system R Aquarii in stunning resolution.
The VLT's SPHERE instrument captured a clearer image of R Aquarii than even the Hubble Space Telescope.
R Aquarii is made up of two stars: a scavenging white dwarf and its red giant victim, caught in a dance to the death.
The hot, dense white dwarf flays matter from the surface of its unfortunate companion...
...occasionally triggering a thermonuclear nova explosion, hurling vast amounts of matter and energy into space.
This dramatic stellar relationship has shaped the material surrounding R Aquarii...
...causing it to expand and evolve.
Transcribed by ESO; Translated by —