Zeta Oviucci once orbited close to another star, before being ejected when the companion disintegrated in a supernova explosion. Infrared data from Spitzer revealed a stunning shockwave formed from material that exploded from the star’s surface and hit the gas in its path. Data from Chandra shows X-ray emission bubbles located around the star, which are generated by gas heated by the shock wave to tens of millions of degrees. 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
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- Zeta Ophiuchi is a lone star that may have once had a companion that disintegrated during a supernova.
- The supernova explosion sent Zeta Ophiuchi, seen in the Spitzer (in green and red) and Chandra data (in blue), into space.
- The X-rays that Chandra discovered came from gas heated to millions of degrees by the shockwave effect.
- Scientists are working to match the computational model of this object to explain the data obtained at different wavelengths.
Zeta Ophiuchi is a star with a complex past, likely driven from his hometown by a powerful stellar explosion. New detail view by[{” attribute=””>NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory helps tell more of the history of this runaway star.
Located approximately 440 light-years from Earth, Zeta Ophiuchi is a hot star that is about 20 times more massive than the Sun. Evidence that Zeta Ophiuchi was once in close orbit with another star, before being ejected at about 100,000 miles per hour when this companion was destroyed in a supernova explosion over a million years ago has been provided by previous observations.
In fact, previously released infrared data from NASA’s now-retired Spitzer Space Telescope, seen in this new composite image, reveals a spectacular shock wave (red and green) that was formed by matter blowing away from the star’s surface and slamming into gas in its path. A bubble of X-ray emission (blue) located around the star, produced by gas that has been heated by the effects of the shock wave to tens of millions of degrees, is revealed by data from Chandra.
A team of astronomers has constructed the first detailed computer models of the shock wave. They have begun testing whether the models can explain the data obtained at different wavelengths, including X-ray, infrared, optical, and radio observations. All three of the different computer models predict fainter X-ray emissions than observed. In addition, the bubble of X-ray emission is brightest near the star, whereas two of the three computer models predict the X-ray emission should be brighter near the shock wave. The team of astronomers was led by Samuel Green from the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies in Ireland.
In the future, the scientists plan to test more complex models with additional physics — including the effects of turbulence and particle acceleration — to see if the agreement with the X-ray data improves.
A paper describing these findings has been accepted in the journal Astronomy and astrophysics. The Chandra data used here were originally analyzed by Jesús Toala of the Andalusian Institute of Astrophysics in Spain, who also wrote the proposal that led to the observations.
Reference: “Thermal Emissions from Arc Shock. II. Zeta Oviucci 3D Magneto-hydrodynamic Model” by S. Green, J. Mackey, P. Kavanagh, TJ Haworth, M. Moutzouri and VV Gvaramadze, Accepted, Astronomy and astrophysics.
DOI: 10.1051 / 0004-6361 / 202243531
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center manages the Chandra program. The Chandra X-ray Center Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory controls science operations from Cambridge, Massachusetts, and flight operations from Burlington, Massachusetts.
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