092-White-Dwarf-Star
the sun's ultimate fate, a shrunken, blue-white cinder that sheds little light on its devastated planets ; acrylic on board, 1981
130-Contact-Binary
Contact Binary - the companions forming the binary star Algol exchange gases in a complex manner, cover for Science Digest ; acrylic on board, 1981
131-Black-Hole
Black Hole - gas from a companion star blazes brightly upon impacting the accretion disk of a black hole ; acrylic, 1980
168-Maelstrom-2
Maelstrom 2 - debris swirls toward ultimate destruction in a black hole
270-Flare-Star-1
Coronal streamers rise above the roiling surface of a flare star in this 1990 acrylic on canvas painting. This is a background detail of artwork commissioned for a Del Rey books cover painting. It was also featured on a poster for the computer game Marathon by Bungie software. copyright Don Dixon/cosmographica.com 2013
276-Heart-Of-The-Quasar
an immensely massive black hole swirls at the center of a galaxy
334-Algol-Binary
binary stars exchange atmospheres in complex interplay of gravity and solar winds, interior Sky and Telescope - painting by Don Dixon
363-Gamma-Burster
Neutron Stars Collide to Create a Gamma Ray Burster - Painting by Don Dixon for Sky and Telescope
379-Gravity-Mind
A Mind composed of organized black holes in the distant future - painting by Don Dixon for Odyssey Magazine, digital, 1998
398-Trinary-Black-Hole.jpg
A black hole rips apart two companion stars in this private commission. The cores of two red giant stars spiral toward destruction. Sputtering explosions of infalling gas are blasted into space as the three objects dance around their ever-shifting center of mass. The painting was created with acrylic and oil glazes on a 4'x6' canvas.
402-Magnetar-B
Painted for the Feburary, 2003 issue of Scientific American, this digital painting shows the immense burst of magnetic energy and soft gamma radiation that is released when a highly magnetic neutron star experiences a "starquake" -- a vertical displacement of the surface perhaps smaller than a millimeter. The burst is tightly constrained to a thin belt by the intense magnetic field.
408-Black-Hole-Disk
Superhot gases pulled from a companion star whirl in the accretion disk surrounding a black hole. High energy jets stream from its poles. Digital, for Scientific American, 2004. © 2005 by Don Dixon.
412-ss433-BlackHole
The strange star SS433 may be a black hole whose accretion disk is highly inclined with respect to its orbit about a companion star. Digital, cover, February 2005 "Astronomy" magazine.
443-gravity-wave
According to Einstein, collapsing stars should send waves of gravity rippling through space and time. Abstract representation, digital © 2007 Don Dixon/cosmographica.com
449-Inside the Jet of a Galactic Black Hole
Gazing into the "throat" of a galactic jet. A huge black hole at the center of the galaxy rips stars apart. Churning magnetic fields and acoustic waves ripple outward. Digital painting for special "Black Holes" edition of Scientific American. © 2007 Don Dixon/cosmographica.com
169-Black-Hole-2
Black Hole 2 - gas is compressed to x-ray incandescence as it impacts the accretion disk of a black hole; acrylic and gouache on illustration board, 1987; copyright Don Dixon
496-gas-clouds-black-hole-milky-way
Sagittarius-A ; Clouds of gas and dust swirl into the black hole at the core of the Milky Way galaxy. digital, for Scientific American, 2013. copyright Don Dixon / cosmographica.com
026-Algol Variable Star
The companion stars that form the binary star Algol orbit within a complex stream of exchanged gas. Oil on masonite, 18x24 inches, 1974. artwork © Don Dixon/cosmographica.com
059-Cygnus-X-1 Black Hole
Cygnus X-1 - possible black hole draws gases from a companion star ; gouache on illustration board, 1975. © Don Dixon
509-neutron-star-distant
Jets of energy blast from the poles of a neutron star; © Don Dixon
