GoKawiilChandra spots 84 unusual low-energy X-ray binaries across six galaxies
Astronomers using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory identified 84 compact binary systems in six galaxies, including Andromeda and the Pinwheel Galaxy, that emit unusually weak X-rays alongside strong ultraviolet radiation. Researcher Mustafa Muhibullah of the University of Alabama says the team has dubbed them 'hypersoft X-ray sources' because their behavior differs from any previously known compact binaries.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
Typical compact binaries produce intense high-energy X-rays as they siphon gas from companion stars, so finding systems that instead glow mainly in ultraviolet challenges existing models of accretion physics. Because interstellar gas absorbs ultraviolet light, similar objects may be hidden throughout our own galaxy, suggesting a whole undetected population of stellar remnants with implications for understanding stellar evolution and death.
- Chandra found 84 unusual X-ray sources across six galaxies, including Andromeda and the Pinwheel Galaxy.
- These 'hypersoft X-ray sources' emit weak X-rays but strong ultraviolet light, unlike typical compact binaries.
- Interstellar gas absorption may explain why none have been found yet in the Milky Way, hinting at a hidden population.
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See Celestron NexStar 8SE Telescope on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: science.slashdot.org, 2026-09-15
Published there as: “Scientists Discover Mysterious New X-Ray Objects 'Unlike Any They Have Seen Before'”
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