X ray Echoes from Circinus X 1
Explanation:
Circinus X-1 is an X-ray binary star known for its erratic
variability.
In the
bizarre
Circinus X-1 system, a dense neutron star,
the collapsed remnant of a supernova explosion, orbits with a more ordinary
stellar companion.
Observations of the X-ray binary in months
following an intense X-ray flare from the source in 2013
progressively revealed striking concentric rings - bright
X-ray
light echoes
from four intervening clouds of interstellar dust.
In this
X-ray/optical composite, the swaths of Chandra Observatory
X-ray image
data showing partial outlines of the rings are in false colors.
Remarkably,
timing the X-ray echoes,
along with known distances to the
interstellar dust clouds, determines
the formerly highly uncertain distance to Circinus X-1 itself
to be 30,700 light-years.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
