M. Karovska et al., FIRST HUBBLE-SPACE-TELESCOPE OBSERVATIONS OF MIRA-AB WIND-ACCRETING BINARY-SYSTEM, The Astrophysical journal, 482(2), 1997, pp. 175
The Mira AB system belongs to a class of detached binaries in which a
compact object accretes mass from the wind of a cool giant or supergia
nt. This system provides a unique laboratory for detailed study of the
characteristics of the wind accretion processes because it can be spa
tially resolved with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and the componen
ts can be studied individually at UV and optical wavelengths. We resol
ved the components of this binary using HST Faint Object Camera (FOG)
images and obtained spectra of each component separately for the first
time. The multiwavelength FOC images combined with the spectra provid
e a unique perspective on this accreting system and its components at
wavelengths ranging from 150 to 550 nm. We determined the spectral ene
rgy distribution of each component unambiguously at UV and optical wav
elengths and obtained the first high spatial resolution images of Mira
A and Mira B at UV wavelengths. We detected significant asymmetries i
n the giant's atmosphere and found evidence for possible interaction w
ith its companion.