Artist's rendition of an intermediate polar (DQ Herculis) binary star system. A white dwarf star (foreground) with a powerful magnetic field pulls matter from a larger, redder star, creating a swirling accretion disk. The magnetic field channels the infalling gas towards the poles of the white dwarf. The white dwarf's gravity strips away the outer layers of its companion star.
Astronomy Picture from 10/11/2003
An Intermediate Polar Binary System
Source: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap031110.html
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