Some of the highest-energy gamma-rays ever observed for a nova were generated by a massive explosion caused by a small, dense star chowing down on its enormous dying neighbor.
Astronomers at the Max Planck Institute for Physics observed the nova system in August of 2021.
There is a red giant star and a white dwarf in a recurrent nova system located 5,000 light-years away from Earth. The white dwarf acquires so much material that it explodes in a nova after absorbing hydrogen gas from the red giant. A cycle lasts about 15 years in the recurrent nova systems.
There are great images of star explosions.
The team of astronomer observed the most recent nova with the help of the two Major Atmospheric and Cherenkov telescopes in Spain.
Particles were accelerated to the speed of light by the explosion. Scientists theorize that thegamma-rays come from the nucleus of hydrogen atoms.
nova outbursts are a source of Cosmic rays, which are highly energetic particles that travel through space at nearly the speed of light, said David Green, a scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Physics who co-authored a paper on the observations. The big players are the remnants of exploded stars. The shock fronts created from stellar explosions are more violent than novas.
Astronomers will continue to look for violent systems throughout the universe. The observations were published in the journal Nature Astronomy.
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