Shell of gas from a nova,artwork. Expanding shell of gas (red and blue) following a nova explosion. A nova is thought to be the periodic explosion that occurs in a cataclysmic variable binary star system. This is when a binary star system consists of a red dwarf star (centre) orbiting close to a white dwarf star (blue,lower right edge of red dwarf). Material falls from the red dwarf star onto the white dwarf star,accumulating until it eventually explodes as a nova. Novae,which recur regularly,are seen as a massive increase in the brightness of the star system. A red dwarf star is a small star,while a white dwarf star is a dense,collapsed star formed from a small or medium star | |
Licence : | Droits gérés |
Crédit: | Science Photo Library / Garlick, Mark |
Taille de l’image : | 4134 px × 3307 px |
Model Release : | Non requis |
Property Release : | Non requis |
Restrictions : | - |