science π Astronomers find new 'hypersoft' X-ray objects
Scientists discovered a new class of ultra-bright X-ray emitters called Hypersoft X-ray Sources (HSSs). This was done by Mustafa Muhibullah and Jimmy Irwin from the University of Alabama and Rosanne Di Stefano from Harvard & the Smithsonian. The team found 84 distinct HSSs across six nearby galaxies, including Andromeda and the Pinwheel Galaxy. These sources might explain where Type Ia supernovae originate and interstellar helium ionization. The research suggests these bright objects could be related to novae or accretion disks around black holes. π