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A stellar runaway

Gerald Rhemann, taken from Farm Tivoli, Namibia

The star Zeta Ophiuchi is zipping through space at roughly 19 miles per second (30 km/s), having been ejected from its former system. This creates a shock wave out in front of the star, like the wave off the bow of a ship. This Hα/OII/LRGB image was taken with exposure times of 350, 283, 63, 76, 76, and 76 minutes on a 12-inch astrograph.