QX Normae

QX Normae
Observation data
Epoch J2000      Equinox J2000
Constellation Norma
Right ascension 16h 12m 43.0s[1]
Declination −52° 25 23
Characteristics
Spectral type /
Astrometry
Details
Other designations
4U 1608-52[1]

QX Normae is an active low mass X ray binary in the constellation Norma. It is composed of a neutron star and a star smaller and cooler than the Sun. The X-ray component, known as 4U 1608-52, was discovered in the early 1970s, while the visual component, QX Normae, was discovered in 1977.[2] By analysing the interstellar extinction between Earth and the system, Güver and colleagues calculated the most likely distance to be 5.8 kpc (19,000 light-years), and the neutron star's mass to be 1.74 ± 0.14 times that of the Sun and radius to be a mere 9.3 ± 1.0 km.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 "QX Normae". SIMBAD Astronomical Database. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
  2. Wachter, Stephanie ; Hoard, D .W. ; Bailyn, Charles D. ; Corbel, Stephane ; Kaaret, Philip E. (2002). "A Closer Look at the Soft X-ray Transient X1608-52 : Long-term Optical\/X-ray Observations". The Astrophysical Journal 568: 901–911. arXiv:astro-ph/0112465. Bibcode:2002ApJ...568..901W. doi:10.1086/339034.
  3. Güver, Tolga; Özel, Feryal; Cabrera-Lavers, Antonio; Wroblewski, Patricia (2010). "The Distance, Mass, and Radius of the Neutron Star in 4U 1608-52". The Astrophysical Journal 712 (2): 964–73. arXiv:0811.3979. Bibcode:2010ApJ...712..964G. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/712/2/964.
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