NASA's Chandra X-Ray Observatory has revealed new details about Wd1-9, a rare supergiant B[e] star 13,800 light-years away in Westerlund 1. Astronomers found it shows long-term X-ray changes and a 14-day orbital period, confirming it as a colliding-wind binary. They also detected iron emission at 6.7 keV for the first time ever. Significantly, no photospheric features were detected.
short by
Pravel Jain /
09:01 pm on
02 Aug