Celestial hemisphere:  Southern  ·  Constellation: Ophiuchus (Oph)
Rs Ophiuchi, simon harding
Rs Ophiuchi
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Rs Ophiuchi

Rs Ophiuchi, simon harding
Rs Ophiuchi
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Rs Ophiuchi

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Description

The bright star is RS Ophiuchi which is is a rare naked eye nova that has increased in magnitude from +12 to +5 , It is as a result of a thermonuclear explosion occurring on the surface of the star , It is therefore visible to the naked eye .
This happens roughly every 20 years , and it is known as a recurrent nova . There are only 7 other systems like this .
RS Oph is actually a binary system consisting of a white dwarf orbiting very closely a red giant star
The intense gravity of the white dwarf draws material from the red giant down onto the surface of the White dwarf . A thermonuclear explosion is triggered on the surface of the White dwarf when enough matter from the Red giant has accumulated there . The last such event was in 2006 .
SLOOH T1 10min LRGB image
10.08.21

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Rs Ophiuchi, simon harding