Yeni ve gizemli bir X-ışını kaynağı sınıfı

Astronomers using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory have identified a group of objects that does not fit any previously known class. The objects emit unusually low-energy X-rays while producing intense ultraviolet radiation. After examining archival images, the researchers found 84 examples across six galaxies and named them “hypersoft X-ray sources”. One possible explanation is that they are binary systems in which a white dwarf steadily draws material from a companion star. If this interpretation is correct, such systems may be far more common than scientists had assumed. The discovery is important for another reason as well: these objects may represent one of the stages through which some white dwarfs pass before exploding. Further observations will be required to determine whether a single explanation can account for all the objects in the newly recognised group.