2025年12月5日
The Bipolar Jets of KX Andromedae
Image Credit & Copyright: Tim Schaeffer and the Deep Sky Collective
Explanation: Blasting outward from variable star KX Andromedae, these stunning bipolar jets are 19 light-years long. Recently discovered, they are revealed in unprecedented detail in this deep telescopic image centered on KX And and composed from over 692 hours of combined image data. In fact, KX And is spectroscopically found to be an interacting binary star system consisting of a bright, hot B-type star with a swollen cool giant star as its co-orbiting, close companion. The stellar material from the cool giant star is likely being transferred to the hot B-type star through an accretion disk, with spectacular symmetric jets driven outward perpendicular to the disk itself. The known distance to KX And of 2,500 light-years, angular size of the jets, and estimated inclination of the accretion disk lead to the size estimate for each jet of an astonishing 19 light-years.
Free APOD Lecture in Phoenix: Wednesday, December 10 at 7 pm
Tomorrow’s picture: remember where you parked
仙女座KX的双极喷流
影像提供与版权: Tim Schaeffer and the Deep Sky Collective
说明: 这些令人惊叹的双极喷流从变星仙女座KX（KX And）喷射而出，长达19光年。这些喷流是近期发现的，在这张以KX And为中心、由超过692小时的影像资料合成的深空望远镜影像中，它们以前所未有的细节呈现在我们眼前。事实上，光谱学研究显示，KX And是一个交互作用的双星系统，由一颗明亮炽热的B型星和一颗膨胀的低温巨星所组成，这颗低温巨星是B型星的共轨近距离伴星。来自冷巨星的恒星物质很可能透过吸积盘转移到炽热的B型星上，形成壮观的对称喷流，并垂直于吸积盘本身向外喷发。已知KX And的距离（2,500光年）、喷流的视张角大小以及吸积盘的估计倾角，可以估算出每个喷流的大小达到惊人的19光年。
凤凰城免费APOD讲座: 12月10日（周三）晚上7点
明日的图片: remember where you parked