Red Beacon

The star known as V838 Monocerotis is an example of a luminous red nova, which produces a brilliant outburst. Astronomers have recently reported that such outbursts may occur when two stars merge. As the stars come together, some of the gas in their outer layers is blasted into space, causing the system to flare to perhaps millions of times its normal brightness. [NASA/ESA/H.E. Bond (STScI)]