NASA-JAXA XRISM Mission Sees Pulsar Gathering Companion’s ‘Wind’ - ScienceX Innovations

Astronomers using the XRISM X-ray observatory observed a giant star’s stellar wind being captured by its neutron-star companion (GX 301-2) in the BP Crucis system, powering strong X-ray flares. The redshifted iron absorption lines indicate gas moving toward the pulsar at about 335,000 mph, as the pulsar traverses the wind and forms a turbulent disk that ultimately feeds the neutron star before direct accretion resumes.

NASA-JAXA XRISM Mission Sees Pulsar Gathering Companion’s ‘Wind’ - ScienceX Innovations # NASA-JAXA XRISM Mission Sees Pulsar Gathering Companion’s ‘Wind’ ## Using data from the Japan-led XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission) observatory, astronomers have directly observed a giant star’s outflow, called a stellar wind, being captured by its compact companion and providing the power source for strong X-ray flares. The research is part of NASA’s exploration of the extreme universe to better understand how the […] SIN Sep 19, 2026 - 02:00 # NASA-JAXA XRISM Mission Sees Pulsar Gathering Companion’s ‘Wind’ Using data from the Japan-led XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission) observatory, astronomers have directly observed a giant star’s outflow, called a stellar wind, being captured by its compact companion and providing the power source for strong X-ray flares. The research is part of NASA’s exploration of the extreme universe to better understand how the cosmos works. “We’ve never before seen clear indications of wind plasma falling onto a compact object,” said Roi Rahin, a researcher at UMBC (University of Maryland, Baltimore County) and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “We can now test our understanding of these processes in much greater detail.” A paper describing the findings published Friday in the journal Science Advances. The target system is BP Crucis, a high-mass X-ray binary located about 13,000 light-years away in the southern constellation Crux. The primary star, known as Wray 977, is a blue hypergiant about 4…

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