Published on July 5, 2017
Animation showing a binary star system in which a white dwarf accretes matter from a normal companion star. Matter streaming from the red star accumulates on the white dwarf until the dwarf explodes. With its partner destroyed, the normal star careens into space. This scenario results in what astronomers refer to as a Type Ia supernova.
Credits: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Walt Feimer
