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                           Astronomy Picture of the Day   
      
       Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our   
         fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation   
                       written by a professional astronomer.   
      
                                  2022 February 5   
        See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest   
                           resolution version available.   
      
                                Symbiotic R Aquarii   
        Image Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO/R. Montez et al.; Optical: Data:   
              NASA/ESA/STScI, Processing: Judy Schmidt (CC BY-NC-SA)   
      
      Explanation: Variable star R Aquarii is actually an interacting binary   
      star system, two stars that seem to have a close symbiotic   
      relationship. Centered in this space-based optical/x-ray composite   
      image it lies about 710 light years away. The intriguing system   
      consists of a cool red giant star and hot, dense white dwarf star in   
      mutual orbit around their common center of mass. With binoculars you   
      can watch as R Aquarii steadily changes its brightness over the course   
      of a year or so. The binary system's visible light is dominated by the   
      red giant, itself a Mira-type long period variable star. But material   
      in the cool giant star's extended envelope is pulled by gravity onto   
      the surface of the smaller, denser white dwarf, eventually triggering a   
      thermonuclear explosion, blasting material into space. Astronomers have   
      seen such outbursts over recent decades. Evidence for much older   
      outbursts is seen in these spectacular structures spanning almost a   
      light-year as observed by the Hubble Space Telescope (in red and blue).   
      Data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory (in purple) shows the X-ray   
      glow from shock waves created as a jet from the white dwarf strikes   
      surrounding material.   
      
                        Tomorrow's picture: our fair planet   
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