Centaurus X-3
| Centaurus X-3 data | |
|---|---|
| Constellation | centaur |
| Position ( equinox : J2000.0 ) | |
| Right ascension | 11h 21m 15.8s |
| declination | −60 ° 37 '22.7 " |
| X-ray source | |
| Type | Massive X-ray binary star, X-ray pulsar, variable coverage (compact, pulsed) |
| Energy maximum | 1 TeV |
| Catalog names | 4U 1118-60, 4U 1119-603, 1RXS J112115.4-603725, GX 292 + 00 |
| Double star system | |
| distance | 20,000 to 26,000 light years |
| Period of circulation | 2,087 days |
| Optical / stellar component: Krzemiński's star / V779 Centauri |
|
| Spectral class | O6-7 II-III |
| Apparent brightness (visual) | 13.3 mag |
| Dimensions | 20.5 solar masses |
| radius | 11.8 solar radii |
| Compact component: Centaurus X-3 Pulsar | |
| period | 4.84 s |
| Dimensions | 0.65 to 0.83 solar masses |
Centaurus X-3 (abbreviated to Cen X-3 ) is a compact, pulsating X-ray source in the constellation Centaur . It is an X-ray pulsar with a period of 4.84 seconds, the first X-ray pulsar to be detected.
Centaurus X-3 is a neutron star orbiting Krzemiński's star, a giant star with a mass of 20.5 solar masses. The neutron star extracts matter from its companion, which forms an accretion disk from which the X-rays emanate. Due to the accretion of matter and the associated transmission of angular momentum , the pulsar's speed of rotation increases continuously. The pulsar's orbital period around Krzemiński's star is 2.09 days. While about a quarter of the rotation time, the X-ray source of her companion obscured .
history
The X-ray source was discovered on May 18, 1967 during an experiment in which a rocket with a proportional counter tube was launched. As the third discovered X-ray source in the constellation Centaur (Latin Centaurus) it was named Centaurus X-3. In 1971 further observations were made with the Uhuru satellite . It was discovered that Cen X-3 pulses with a period of 4.84 seconds. It was later discovered that there was still a sinusoidal overlay of 2.09 days, which suggested a binary star system. In 1973 the Polish astronomer Wojciech Krzemiński was able to identify the recently discovered variable V779 Centauri as a visual component of the binary star system; V779 Cen is therefore now also known as 'Krzemiński's Star'.
Web links
- Spectral and Location Measurements of Several Cosmic X-Ray Sources Including a Variable Source in Centaurus, bibcode : 1967PhRvL..19..681C