![]() Observing the sky, we expand our ability to investigate how the universe works. “These observations let us see the effects of these incredibly strong magnetic fields that we could never make on Earth with the technology we have now. In this scenario, the radiation from these compressed atoms would have a harder time ejecting the matter, which explains why such a large amount of mass could enter the star without disintegrating. These would be so strong that they would squish the atoms of the matter falling into the star, turning the shape of these atoms from a sphere into an elongated string, NASA’s statement said. In this theory, superstrong magnetic fields shoot out of the neutron star. An X-ray (right) and visible-light (left) view of the Messier 82 galaxy. Given this information, another explanation has become the leading theory to explain ULXs.Īnd it’s even more bizarre. “Superstrong” magnetic fields may crush atoms They postulate that the neutron star’s potent magnetic field modifies the atomic structure of the star, keeping it together as it becomes brighter and brighter.Īlso read: What is NISAR, the NASA-ISRO satellite that will help scientists better understand climate change? The study team interprets this as evidence that M82 X-2 must be engaging in some behaviour that permits it to defy the Eddington limit. M82 X-2 pulled in about 9 billion trillion tons of material per year from a neighbouring star, or about 1.5 times the mass of Earth, a NASA statement said. Because neutron stars are so dense, their surface gravity is approximately 100 trillion times stronger than Earth’s.Īnything falling onto the surface of a dead star will explode due to the intense gravity. The remnant, lifeless centres of the sun-like stars are known as neutron stars. ![]() ULXs were once thought to be black holes, however, M82 X-2 is actually a neutron star. The Eddington limit has led scientists to wonder if the ULX’s brilliance was really brought on by massive volumes of material falling into it. It is going against the Eddington limit, a principle of astrophysics that states an object may be only so brilliant before it fragments and is broken by these things, making them theoretically unattainable.Īccording to scientists, everything that exceeds the Eddington limit will self-destruct. Both of these techniques work best for heavier elements such as metals.These lawbreakers are known as ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs), and they emit roughly 10 million times as much energy as the sun. The Alpha Proton X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) instrument uses two techniques, one to determine structure and another to determine composition. NASA's Mars Exploration Rover, Spirit, used x-rays to detect the spectral signatures of zinc and nickel in Martian rocks. X-ray telescopes focus x-rays onto a detector using grazing incidence mirrors (just as bullets ricochet when they hit a wall at a grazing angle). Due to the high energy and penetrating nature of x-rays, x-rays would not be reflected if they hit the mirror head on (much the same way that bullets slam into a wall). Such measurements can provide clues about the composition, temperature, and density of distant celestial environments. The photons are directed onto the detector where they are absorbed, and the energy, time, and direction of individual photons are recorded. X-rays come from objects that are millions of degrees Celsius-such as pulsars, galactic supernovae remnants, and the accretion disk of black holes.įrom space, x-ray telescopes collect photons from a given region of the sky. ![]() ![]() The hotter the object, the shorter the wavelength of peak emission. The physical temperature of an object determines the wavelength of the radiation it emits. Credit: Hinode JAXA/NASA/PPARC TEMPERATURE AND COMPOSITION ![]()
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