This picture depicts a phenomenon cause by the "runaway star" Zeta Ophiuchi (in the constellation of Ophiuchus). The star, seen in the center of the frame, is moving at a blinding speed of 24 kilometers per second. The stellar wind it produces heats the interstellar medium (basically dust) around it, which when combined with its motion creates the so called "bow wave." As for how the star came to be moving so quickly, it is likely that the star was once part of a binary star system. The other star in the system could have had a shorter life, and then went supernova, flinging Zeta Ophiuchi away. The star itself would be one of the brightest in the sky if it were not for all the nearby dust obscuring its light.
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