Cygnus X-3
| Cygnus X-3 / V1521 Cygni data | |
|---|---|
Image of the X-ray source Cygnus X-3 from Chandra
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| Constellation | swan |
| Position ( equinox : J2000.0 ) | |
| Right ascension | 20h 32m 25.8s |
| declination | + 40 ° 57 '28 " |
| X-ray source | |
| Type | Massive X-ray binary star, microquasar (compact, periodic) |
| Energy maximum | TeV to PeV |
| Catalog names | 3U 2030 + 40, RX J2032.3 + 4057 |
| Double star system | |
| distance | approx. 23,000 light years |
| Period of circulation | 4.79 hours |
| Optical / stellar component: WR 145a | |
| Spectral class | WN8 |
| Dimensions | |
| Compact component | |
| Type | Neutron star, quark star or black hole |
| Dimensions | |
Cygnus X-3 ( V1521 Cygni ) is an X-ray binary star system discovered in 1966 in the constellation Swan . It belongs as Hercules X-1 of such the rare Examples systems that also in VHE - gamma region (abbreviated VHE for Engl.. V ery h igh e emit periodic nergy) radiation. The emission of this highest energy gamma radiation with energies up to 10 16 eV was registered for the first time in 1983. In addition, Cygnus X-3 emits highly variable radio and infrared radiation . In the optical range, Cygnus X-3 is not visible because of the strong interstellar extinction .
Cygnus X-3 is one of the brightest X-ray sources in our galaxy . The name suggests that this binary star system is the third X-ray source discovered in the constellation Swan. It consists of a neutron star or black hole and a companion classified as a Wolf-Rayet star by observations in the infrared . In all wavelength ranges it shows fluctuations with a period of 4.8 hours. Recent observations in higher energy ranges cannot detect a steady or a pulsed emission from Cygnus X-3. The data from the HEGRA - IACT measurements from 2001 are examined for continuous and periodic emissions.
literature
- Cygnus X-3 , in: Lexikon der Astronomie , Verlag Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 1989, Vol. 1, ISBN 3-451-21491-1 , p. 161.
Remarks
- ↑ Cygnus X-3 , in: Lexikon der Astronomie , Verlag Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 1989, Vol. 1, ISBN 3-451-21491-1 , p. 161.
- ^ Joachim Herrmann: Bertelsmann Lexikon Astronomie , 1993, ISBN 3-570-01612-9 , p. 64.