The Incredible Shockwave Of Stars Repels Space At 100,000 Miles Per Hour
Zeta Oviucci once orbited close to another star, before its companion was destroyed in a supernova explosion. Infrared data from Spitzer revealed shockwaves made of material that exploded from the star’s surface and collided with gas on its way. Chandra’s data show X-ray emission bubbles located around the star, generated by gas heated to tens of millions of degrees by the shock wave. Chandra’s data helps tell more about the story of this wild star. credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Univ. Cambridge / c. Cesc Raines et al; Radio: NSF/NRAO/VLA; Optics: PanSTARRS Zeta Ophiuchi is the only star that may ever have a companion destroyed during a supernova. The supernova explosion sent zeta Ophiuchi into space as seen in the Spitzer data (in green and red) and Chandra (in blue). The X-rays that Chandra discovered came from heating the gas to millions of degrees by the shockwave effect. Scientists are working to match the computational model of this object to interpret the data obtained at diffe