A distant white dwarf’s unexpected, long-lasting shock wave defies current astrophysical models.

A white dwarf star named RXJ0528+2838, located 730 light-years from Earth, is surrounded by a persistent, glowing bow shock—similar to a boat’s wake—that defies current astrophysical models. Despite lacking a detectable accretion disk and being a supposedly quiet, dead star, the system produces powerful, long-lasting outflows spanning nearly 4,000 times the Earth-Sun distance. The shock wave, visible in red, green, and blue light, has likely persisted for at least 1,000 years. Researchers believe the star’s strong magnetic field may channel material from its companion directly onto its surface, bypassing disk formation, but this alone cannot explain the sustained energy release. The discovery, published in Nature Astronomy on January 12, 2026, reveals an unknown physical mechanism and challenges fundamental assumptions about how dead stars interact with their environments.