Circinus X-1, an X-ray binary system, is an astronomical wonder located within the Compass constellation. This intriguing system comprises a main sequence star and a neutron star, which is the remnant vestige of a supernova exploded roughly 2,500 years ago.
The neutron star continuously rips material from its companion star. The ripped gas, as it plummets toward the neutron star, heats up and reaches very high temperatures, consequently beginning to emit in X-rays.
In 2013 Circinus X-1 for the first time underwent a powerful outburst that made it one of the brightest x-ray sources in the sky for several months. This event prompted detailed studies by the nasa’s chandra x-ray observatory and XMM-Newton telescopes.
What they discovered was a spectacle of four luminous rings in the X-rays, encircling the central neutron star. These rings are the result of dense dust clouds that have the capability to scatter and deflect the X-rays emitted by the neutron star, thus causing them to travel different trajectories from their original ones.
The study of these ring structures and the time delays of the scattered X-rays allowed astronomers to accurately measure the distance to Circinus X-1, determining it at a staggering 30,700 light-years from Earth.
Image Credit: NASA/Chandra X-ray Observatory.
Post a Comment