NASA, ESA, M. Stute, M. Karovska, D. de Martin, and M. ZamaniDay 23 of the 2024 Space Telescope Advent Calendar: a spray of glowing filaments. R Aquarii is a symbiotic binary star that lies roughly 700 light-years from Earth, surrounded by a large, dynamic nebula. The primary star is an aging red giant, and its companion is a compact, burned-out star known as a white dwarf. When the white dwarf swings closest to the red giant along its 44-year orbital period, it gravitationally siphons off hydrogen gas. This material accumulates…
