Hubble image archive
Symbiotic Star R Aquarii
This illustration depicts one possible explanation for R Aquarii's semi-periodic outbursts. The peculiar behavior of R Aquarii suggests that the red giant star in the R Aquarii system may spill some of its mass onto the companion – a common mechanism proposed for most nova-like o...
- Date
- Jan 1, 1990
- Mission
- Hubble Space Telescope
- Archive ID
- hubblesite-images-1990-15-17-image
This illustration depicts one possible explanation for R Aquarii's semi-periodic outbursts. The peculiar behavior of R Aquarii suggests that the red giant star in the R Aquarii system may spill some of its mass onto the companion – a common mechanism proposed for most nova-like outbursts. The mass transfer process may form an accretion disk: a swirling, flattened vortex of hot gasses that spiral down onto the hot companion. The disk may periodically erupt when the companion becomes overloaded with in-falling material. These explosions may happen only periodically when the white dwarf orbits close enough to pull in material from the star's outer layer.
Credits
Credit: NASA, ESA, and D. Berry (STScI)Image Details
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | R Aquarii |
| R.A. Position | 23h 43m 49.46s |
| Dec. Position | -15° 17' 4.2" |
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