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APOD
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.
BZ Cam Bow Shock
Explanation: BZ Cam is a binary star system that is not well understood. In most cataclysmic variables , matter from a normal star accumulates on the surface of the companion white dwarf star, eventually causing a nova -like flare as the material becomes hot enough to ignite nuclear fusion . In BZ Cam , however, light appears to flicker unpredictably, and an unusually large wind of particles is being expelled. Pictured above , BZ Cam 's wind creates a large bow-shock as the system moves through surrounding interstellar gas . BZ Cam lies about 2500 light-years away toward the constellation of Camelopardalis .
| Date | November 28, 2000 |
|---|---|
| Credit | Credit: R. Casalegno , C. Conselice et al., WIYN , NOAO , MURST , NSF |
| Authors & editors: | Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) |
| A service of: |
ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. |