NASA’s Chandra Unveils Mysterious X-Ray Objects

Using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, scientists have discovered a new class of objects behaving unlike any they have seen before. Astronomers suggest these newly spotted objects in other galaxies may help solve not one, but two long-standing questions in astrophysics. These mysterious objects give off unusually low-energy X-rays but intense levels of ultraviolet radiation.

NASA’s Chandra Unveils Mysterious X-Ray Objects. Muhibullah et al.; Optical: NASA/ESA/STScI; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/N. This discovery is featured in a paper published Wednesday in Nature Astronomy.

“We’ve never encountered a group of objects that act like this,” said Mustafa Muhibullah of the University of Alabama who led the study. “Of course, the next step was to try to figure out what these things are.” M101 with illustrated circles calling out seven of the newly-discovered objects.

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