Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Space
Space
Science
Robert Lea

'Hidden black hole' devouring curious star exposed by new X-ray space telescope

A bright blue orb next to an orange swirl against a smoky red background.

Using the Japanese-led X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM), astronomers have taken a deep look into a fascinating binary system that is thought to contain a "hidden" black hole and a massive star blowing strong stellar winds.

The X-ray telescope XRISM, operated jointly by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and NASA, created the most detailed map yet of gases flowing through this system, named Cygnus X-3. Cygnus X-3 is located around 32,000 light-years away in the direction of the northern constellation Cygnus, the Swan.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.