New images from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope showcase the fascinating dynamics of the binary star system R Aquarii, located about 700 light-years from Earth. This unique system, comprised of a white dwarf and a red giant, has been under observation for over 30 years, revealing its dramatic dimming and brightening cycles driven by the interactions between the two stars.
R Aquarii is often referred to as a 'stellar volcano' due to its ability to eject streams of glowing gas across vast distances, with emissions reaching up to 248 billion miles. The primary star, a red giant over 400 times the size of the Sun, varies in brightness over a 400-day period and can become 5,000 times brighter than the Sun at its peak.
The white dwarf, the remnant core of a medium-sized star, draws in hydrogen gas from its companion, leading to explosive thermonuclear events known as novae. These explosions do not destroy the white dwarf but instead disperse elements like carbon and nitrogen back into space, contributing to the cosmic recycling of materials necessary for new star and planet formation.
The Hubble Space Telescope has created a timelapse video of R Aquarii, showcasing its evolution from 2014 to 2023. The observations highlight the importance of such binary systems in understanding the lifecycle of stars and the distribution of essential elements throughout the universe.