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Bread Crumbs
Featured on July 23, 2015
The star system V664 Cassiopeia is leaving "bread crumbs" as it races through the galaxy: a trail of gas and dust that may span several light-years. The system consists of two stars in a very tight orbit. One of the stars recently blew its outer layers into space, and the motion of the companion star kicked the material farther into space, forming a colorful bubble around the system. Some of the material piles up in front of the stars like water in front of a ship. [T.A. Rector (Univ. Alaska Anchorage)/H. Schweiker (WIYN/NOAO/AURA/NSF)]
