NASA's Chandra Reveals the Secret Behind a Massive Star's Outbursts
According to NASA News: Using the Chandra X-ray Observatory, NASA astronomers have figured out what is causing a massive star called AT 2016blu to periodically brighten and dim. Located about 30 million light-years away, this star has a hidden companion—likely a black hole or neutron star—that pulls material from it every 113 days, triggering these luminous outbursts.
According to NASA News:
The Discovery
Astronomers using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory have solved the mystery behind AT 2016blu, a massive and unstable star located in the spiral galaxy NGC 4559, approximately 30 million light-years from Earth. The star is estimated to be at least 33 times the mass of our Sun.
The Mechanism
For over 15 years, scientists have observed this giant star brightening and dimming in optical light. Based on new X-ray observations, researchers suggest that the star has a previously hidden companion object, which is either a stellar mass black hole or a neutron star. As the two objects orbit each other, the companion pulls material from AT 2016blu every 113 days, causing the captured material to heat up and shine brightly in X-rays.
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