Z Camelopardalis, far ultraviolet image. Z Camelopardalis (centre, white) is a double-star (binary) system. It is composed of a dead star (white dwarf) and a companion star. This is an exploding binary system, in which mass is transferred from the companion star to the white dwarf. When the white dwarf reaches its mass limit, it explodes. In this image clouds of ionised gas, the remnants of an explosion, (nova) are detected surrounding the white dwarf (at left and below). Such explosions usually occur either as recurrent small explosions (recurrent dwarf novae) or single large blasts (classical novae). Z Camelopardalis is thought to have undergone both types of explosions. Image obtained by the Galaxy Evolution Explorer on January 25 2004.