Time-lapse: Evolution of R Aquarii (2014 to 2023)

This video features five frames from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope spanning from 2014 to 2023 of R Aquarii, a symbiotic binary star that lies only roughly 1000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Aquarius. This is a type of binary star system consisting of a white dwarf and a red giant that is surrounded by a large, dynamic nebula.

These frames show the brightness of the central binary changing over time due to strong pulsations in the red giant star. The central structures can also be seen to be spiralling outwards due to their interaction with material previously ejected by the binary. 

This time-lapse highlights the value of Hubble’s high resolution optical observations in the changing Universe, known as time-domain astronomy.