A Small, Dense Star Chowing
Down on its enormous dying neighbor caused a massive explosion that generated some of the highest-energy gamma-rays ever observed for a nova.
The Nova System, Called RS Ophiuchi
Produced the extremely high-energy gamma-rays during its latest thermonuclear explosion, observed by astronomers at the Max Planck Institute for Physics in Munich in August 2021.
Located 5,000 Light-Years Away
From Earth in the constellation Ophiuchus, RS Ophiuchi comprises one red giant star and one white dwarf that exist in a parasitic relationship called a recurrent nova system.
The Dense White Dwarf Absorbs
Hydrogen gas shed from the red giant's outer later, eventually acquiring so much material that the white dwarf overheats and erupts in a massive thermonuclear explosion called a nova.
This Occurs Cyclically
In recurrent nova systems, and for RS Ophiuchi, a cycle lasts approximately 15 years.
The Explosion Created Shock Waves
That accelerated particles to nearly the speed of light. Based on these observations, scientists now theorize that "gamma-rays emanate from energetic protons, nuclei of hydrogen atoms,".