Chandra spots 84 objects that behave like nothing seen before
Scientists using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory have found 84 objects that give off unusually low-energy X-rays and intense ultraviolet radiation, according to a paper published Wednesday in Nature Astronomy. Researchers found the so-called hypersoft X-ray sources in six galaxies searched using data from the public Chandra archive. Two are spirals, M31 (the Andromeda galaxy) and M101 (the Pinwheel galaxy); the other four are ellipticals. What is producing the radiation remains unclear. The team thinks the objects most likely involve a black hole, neutron star, or white dwarf pulling material from a companion star, material that heats up and generates X-rays before falling onto the black hole or star.
The find may help answer two long-standing questions in astrophysics, and suggests there could be large populations of similar binary systems that have gone undetected until now.
Source: NASA’s Chandra Unveils Mysterious X-Ray Objects - NASA Science (science.nasa.gov).
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