Circinus X-1 (IMAGE)

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Circinus X-1

Caption

Circinus X-1 is a bizarre and sometimes frenetic source of X-rays in our galaxy. Residing in the plane of the Milky Way, where it cannot be observed by optical telescopes because of obscuring clouds of interstellar dust, Circinus X-1 is the glowing husk of a binary star system that exploded in a supernova event just 2,500 years ago. It consists of a very dense neutron star locked in the orbital embrace of a companion star. The system is called an X-ray binary because it flashes in X-rays as material from the companion star is sucked onto the dense neutron star.

Credit

NASA/Chandra X-ray Observatory

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