images

Nova Aquilae. Artwork

by

Nasa/Novapix

Reference

a-eto99-10006

Date

2006-11-05

The artist's illustration depicts a classical nova binary system just before an explosion on the surface of the white dwarf. Classical novas occur in a system where a white dwarf closely orbits a normal, companion star. In this illustration, gas is flowing from the large red, companion star into a disk and then onto the white dwarf that is hidden inside the white area. As the gas flows ever closer to the white dwarf, it gets increasingly hotter, as indicated by the change in colors from yellow to white. When the explosion occurs, it engulfs the disk of gas and the red companion star.