Anatomy of a Debris Disk Around T Pyxidis

This illustration shows a disk of material ejected by an erupting star, called T Pyxidis, or T Pyx. T Pyx is a recurrent nova, erupting every 12 to 50 years and ejecting material that has formed the disk around the bright star. The disk is full of clumps of material that have comet-like tails pointing away from the star.

About the data

The image was created from Hubble data from proposal 12448 : A. Crotts, J. Sokoloski, and H. Uthas (Columbia University).