Cataclysmic variable — Free Astrophysics Illustration

Astrophysics

Cataclysmic variable

A compact interacting binary system showing a small bright white-blue white dwarf and a larger cool red to red-orange donor star nearby. The donor is slightly distorted or Roche-lobe-filling toward the white dwarf, and matter flows from it in a curved accretion stream into a luminous flattened accretion disk around the white dwarf. The disk is brightest blue-white near the center and darker outward, presented as a clean schematic or reusable clipart-style icon. Use clean vector-style shapes, thin consistent outlines, soft gradient shading, and a saturated astronomical color palette.

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