The rapid brightening of Sakurai's object (IMAGE)

University of Manchester

The rapid brightening of Sakurai's object

Caption

The rapid brightening of Sakurai's object (green circle) allows astronomers to study the final phases of the stellar evolution in only a few decades. The left and right panels show the brightening. The middle panel is an image obtained with  the radio telescope ALMA, showing the material ejected after the star re-ignited. The material currently extends over a size similar to our entire solar system. Credit: Stefan Kimeswenger, University of Innsbruck; Peter van Hoof, Royal Observatory Belgium

Credit

Credit: Stefan Kimeswenger, University of Innsbruck; Peter van Hoof, Royal Observatory Belgium

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