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Red Giant Star Mira

Red Giant Star Mira
In UV light, Hubble resolves a small hook-like appendage extending from Mira, in the direction of the companion that could be material from Mira being gravitationally drawn toward the smaller star. Alternately, it could be that material in Mira's upper atmosphere is being heated due to the companion's presence.
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    Mira A, Omicron Ceti
  • Release Date
    August 6, 1997
  • Science Release
    Hubble Separates Stars in the Mira Binary System
    Read the release
  • Credit
    Credit: Margarita Karovska (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics) and NASA

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Related Images & Videos

The Mira Binary System: A Red Giant Star and Its Hot Companion

The Mira Binary System: A Red Giant Star and Its Hot Companion

[TOP] This is a NASA Hubble Space Telescope image of the cool red giant star Mira A (right), officially called Omicron Ceti in the constellation Cetus, and its nearby hot companion (left) taken on December 11, 1995 in visible light using the European Space Agency's Faint Object...

Red Giant Star Mira and Its Companion

Red Giant Star Mira and Its Companion

This is a NASA Hubble Space Telescope image of the cool red giant star Mira A (right), officially called Omicron Ceti in the constellation Cetus, and its nearby hot companion (left) taken on December 11, 1995 in visible light using the European Space Agency's Faint Object Camera...

Red Giant Star Mira's Football Shape

Red Giant Star Mira's Football Shape

Hubble's visible-light image of the disk of Mira reveals it has an odd, asymmetrical shape resembling a football. This may be tied to dramatic changes occurring during its expansion-contraction cycles, or to the presence of unresolved spots on its surface. Hubble measurements...

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Last Updated
Mar 28, 2025
Contact
Media

Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov

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