An article accepted for publication in the journal “Astronomy and Astrophysics” reports a study on the star Zeta Ophiuchi, a so-called runaway star that became famous even beyond the field of astronomy for its bow shock, the enormous shock wave similar to the waves generated in the water by the bow of a ship. A team of researchers led by Samuel Green from the Institute for Advanced Studies in Dublin, Ireland, built detailed computer models of the bow shock to try to explain the observed data. The results confirm the origins of Zeta Ophiuchi but only partially explain the X-ray emissions detected.