Stories
NASA's Chandra Finds 84 Mysterious Objects in Pinwheel Galaxy: What Are They?
- •NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory discovered 84 previously unknown cosmic objects across six galaxies, including the Pinwheel Galaxy and Andromeda Galaxy.
- •These ‘hypersoft X-ray sources’ emit unusually low-energy X-rays and intense ultraviolet radiation, a combination not seen before.
- •Astronomers hypothesize these objects are binary systems with a black hole, neutron star, or white dwarf pulling material from a companion star.
- •The newly found objects could offer clues to the mystery of Type Ia supernovae and the expansion of the Universe.
- •Their intense ultraviolet radiation might also help explain the presence of stripped electrons in galactic gas, a long-standing astrophysical puzzle.
Key Questions Answered
NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory discovered 84 mysterious objects across six galaxies, including the Pinwheel and Andromeda galaxies, which emit unusually low-energy X-rays and intense ultraviolet radiation. Researchers have named these unknown phenomena "hypersoft X-ray sources" (HSSs).
These sources remained hidden because their low-energy X-rays are challenging for telescopes to observe, and hydrogen and helium gas between stars absorbs much of their ultraviolet radiation. This combination created an observational blind spot in past data.
Astronomers lead with the possibility that these objects are binary systems containing a compact object like a black hole, neutron star, or white dwarf pulling material from a companion star. As the material falls toward the compact object, it heats up to produce this unique radiation.
