Observing stellar bow shocks

TL;DR

This paper reviews the phenomenon of stellar bow shocks, discusses their physical formation, and presents observational images enhanced with advanced image processing techniques, highlighting recent methodological improvements.

Contribution

It provides new observational data of stellar bow shocks using AstroFracTool, demonstrating enhanced visualization of these phenomena.

Findings

Successful imaging of stellar bow shocks with enhanced clarity

Application of AstroFracTool improves detection of shock features

Supports theoretical models of star-ISM interactions

Abstract

For stars, the bow shock is typically the boundary between their stellar wind and the interstellar medium. Named for the wave made by a ship as it moves through water, the bow shock wave can be created in the space when two streams of gas collide. The space is actually filled with the interstellar medium consisting of tenuous gas and dust. Stars are emitting a flow called stellar wind. Stellar wind eventually bumps into the interstellar medium, creating an interface where the physical conditions such as density and pressure change dramatically, possibly giving rise to a shock wave. Here we discuss some literature on stellar bow shocks and show observations of some of them, enhanced by image processing techniques, in particular by the recently proposed AstroFracTool software.