R Aquarii peculiar stellar relationship captured by SPHERE
While testing a new subsystem on the SPHERE planet-hunting instrument on ESO’s Very Large telescope, astronomers were able to capture dramatic details of the turbulent stellar relationship in the binary star R Aquarii with unprecedented clarity — even compared to observations from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope.
This image is from the SPHERE/ZIMPOL observations of R Aquarii, and shows the binary star itself, as well as the jets of material spewing from the stellar couple.
Credit:ESO/Schmid et al.
About the Image
Id: | eso1840a |
Type: | Observation |
Release date: | 12 December 2018, 14:00 |
Related releases: | eso1840 |
Size: | 1890 x 1890 px |
About the Object
Wallpapers
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Coordinates
Position (RA): | 23 43 49.51 |
Position (Dec): | -15° 17' 4.72" |
Field of view: | 0.06 x 0.06 arcminutes |
Orientation: | North is 2.1° left of vertical |
Colours & filters
Band | Wavelength | Telescope |
---|---|---|
Optical H-alpha | 644 nm | Very Large Telescope SPHERE |