THIS IS WHAT it looks like when a star explodes. This amazing picture by the Hubble space telescope is of a star system called AFGL 3068. It shows spirals causesd by two stars orbiting each other, known as binary satrs, while one of the stars blows debris into space.

This effect is extremly rare for two reasons: firstly binary stars are not very common, and secondly stars do not shoot debris into space for very long periods of time. This leads astronomers to believe that there might only be a handfull of these spirals in our whole galaxy.

Picture from DiscoverMagazine.com

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Amazing picture of star spiral

Making a difference

A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.