PROOF OF A FAST WIND IN THE SYMBIOTIC NOVA AG PEGASI

Hubble Space Telescope observations of the symbiotic nova AG Peg revea l a P Cygni profile in N v lambda 1240. This proves that the hot compa ct object in the binary system loses material through a fast wind. Hig h resolution spectra allow to discern three different emission regions : the wind from the hot compact star, a nebular emission region of rel atively high density located in the extended atmosphere of the red gia nt, and a region of lower density most probably associated with the lo cation where the fast wind from the hot star collides with the wind fr om the red giant.