¿ Astronomy Picture of the Day [1]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. 2020 August 31 IFRAME: [2]https://www.youtube.com/embed/ld-bG1CjkZY?rel=0 SS 433: Binary Star Micro-Quasar Animation Credit: [3]DESY, [4]Science Communication Lab Explanation: SS 433 is one of the most exotic star systems known. Its unremarkable name stems from its inclusion in a catalog of [5]Milky Way stars which emit radiation characteristic of atomic [6]hydrogen. Its remarkable behavior stems from a compact object, a [7]black hole or [8]neutron star, which has produced an [9]accretion disk with jets. Because the disk and jets from [10]SS 433 resemble those surrounding supermassive black holes in the centers of distant galaxies, SS 433 is considered a [11]micro-quasar. As illustrated in the animated [12]featured video based on observational data, a massive, hot, normal star is locked in orbit with the compact object. As the video starts, material is shown being gravitationally ripped from the normal [13]star and falling onto an [14]accretion disk. The central star also blasts out [15]jets of ionized gas in opposite directions - each at about 1/4 the [16]speed of light. The video then pans out to show a top view of the precessing jets producing an expanding [17]spiral. From even greater distances, the dissipating jets are then visualized near the heart of [18]supernova remnant [19]W50. Two years ago, SS 433 was [20]unexpectedly found by the [21]HAWC detector array in [22]Mexico to emit unusually high energy ([23]TeV-range) gamma-rays. Surprises continue, as a [24]recent analysis of archival data taken by [25]NASA's [26]Fermi satellite find a gamma-ray source -- separated from the central stars as shown -- that pulses in [27]gamma-rays with a period of 162 days - the same as SS 433's jet precession period - for reasons [28]yet unknown. Teachers & Students: [29]Ideas for utilizing APOD in the classroom. Tomorrow's picture: salted asteroid __________________________________________________________________ [30]< | [31]Archive | [32]Submissions | [33]Index | [34]Search | [35]Calendar | [36]RSS | [37]Education | [38]About APOD | [39]Discuss | [40]> __________________________________________________________________ Authors & editors: [41]Robert Nemiroff ([42]MTU) & [43]Jerry Bonnell ([44]UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman [45]Specific rights apply. [46]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: [47]ASD at [48]NASA / [49]GSFC & [50]Michigan Tech. U. 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