A recent study published in The Astrophysical Journal has provided groundbreaking insights into the corona of black holes, akin to the Sun's corona observed during total solar eclipses. Utilizing NASA's Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IPXE), astronomers analyzed data from a dozen obscured black holes, including Cygnus X-1 and LMG X-1, revealing that the corona forms a disk around the black hole, differing from the spherical shape of the Sun's corona. This advancement enhances our understanding of black hole dynamics and their role in powering active galactic nuclei.
In a separate study published on November 4, an international team led by Aafia Zainab from the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg identified a new high-mass X-ray binary system, designated 1eRASS J085039.9-421151. This system, located approximately 24,300 light-years away, consists of a neutron star and a red supergiant companion, marking it as the second known galactic X-ray binary with such a companion. The system exhibits an X-ray luminosity of 300 decillion erg/s and a mass accretion rate of about 1.72 trillion kg/s. The findings contribute to the understanding of X-ray binaries and their interaction with surrounding materials.