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.

                               2025 December 5
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                      The Bipolar Jets of KX Andromedae
      Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]Tim Schaeffer and the [5]Deep Sky
                                 Collective

   Explanation: Blasting outward from variable star KX Andromedae, these
   stunning bipolar jets are 19 light-years long. [6]Recently discovered,
   they are revealed in unprecedented detail in this deep telescopic image
   centered on KX And and composed from over [7]692 hours of combined
   image data. In fact, KX And is [8]spectroscopically found to be an
   interacting binary star system consisting of a bright, hot B-type star
   with a [9]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 [10]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 [11]astonishing 19 light-years.

      Free APOD Lecture in Phoenix: [12]Wednesday, December 10 at 7 pm
                Tomorrow's picture: remember where you parked
     __________________________________________________________________

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    Authors & editors: [24]Robert Nemiroff ([25]MTU) & [26]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([27]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [28]Specific rights apply.
            [29]NASA Web Privacy, [30]Accessibility, [31]Notices;
                A service of: [32]ASD at [33]NASA / [34]GSFC,
                         [35]NASA Science Activation
                           & [36]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2512/KXAnd.jpg
   3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
   4. https://deepskycollective.com/kxand/steeve
   5. https://deepskycollective.com/gallery
   6. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024RNAAS...8..289Z/abstract
   7. https://app.astrobin.com/i/nllu5u?r=0
   8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binary_star#Spectroscopic_binaries
   9. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap060722.html
  10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accretion_disk
  11. https://www.astroexplorer.org/details/rnaasad9478f1
  12. https://asterisk.apod.com/viewtopic.php?t=44722
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251204.html
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  17. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  19. https://apod.com/feed.rss
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  22. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=251205
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251206.html
  24. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  25. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  26. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  27. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  29. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  30. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/
  31. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/
  32. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  33. https://www.nasa.gov/
  34. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  35. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  36. http://www.mtu.edu/