Artist’s rendition of a cataclysmic variable

Artist’s rendition of a cataclysmic variable in which a white dwarf (white/blue) is accreting material from its nearby Sun-like companion (yellow).

Caption: Artist’s rendition of a cataclysmic variable in which a white dwarf (white/blue) is accreting material from its nearby Sun-like companion (yellow). The material forms a disk around the white dwarf until an instability causes an explosion and a bright outburst of light, known as a nova. Credit: NASA/SOFIA/L. Proudfit