An unexpected shock wave | ESO News

About this episode

Astronomers investigate a mysterious shock wave around the dead star RXJ0528+2838, revealing potential hidden energy sources.

Astronomers are surprised by a mysterious shock wave around the dead star RXJ0528+2838, studied with ESO’s Very Large Telescope. The dead star moves through space creating a so-called bow shock, as the surrounding material is pushed away. Structures like this one are typically caused by a strong outflow from the star. However, in the case of RXJ0528+2838, no known mechanism could be causing the outflow. A hidden energy source, perhaps magnetic fields, might be the answer to this mystery.

Topics covered

• astronomy
• shock wave
• dead star
• bow shock
• mystery
• energy source

Keywords

• shock wave
• RXJ0528+2838
• Very Large Telescope
• bow shock
• astronomy
• energy source
• magnetic fields

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: European Southern Observatory, ESO

Products: Very Large Telescope

Places: RXJ0528+2838

More episodes of ESOcast HD

• Strange winds reveal magnetic exoplanets | ESO News · June 2, 2026 · 1 min
• Two planets spotted forming around a young star | ESO News · March 24, 2026 · 1 min
• What’s the true shape of a supernova? | ESO News · November 12, 2025 · 1 min
• Rogue planet found growing at record rate | ESO News · October 2, 2025 · 1 min
• Hayabusa2’s next target is smaller and faster than we thought | ESO News · September 18, 2025 · 1 min
• Look into the stunning RCW 38 star cluster · February 13, 2025 · 1 min