Neutron Star Flares Up Ingesting Giant Clump of Matter

Scientists from the ESA XMM-Newton space observatory discovered a faint neutron star outburst emitting X-ray flares nearly 10,000 times its normal brightness.
Neutron Star Flares Up Ingesting Giant Clump of Matter
Actress Rachelle Lefevre in the Piaget Lounge at the 25th Film Independent Spirit Awards held at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on March 5, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. John Shearer/Getty Images
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<a><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/09/star.jpg" alt="Illustration of the partial ingestion of a clump of matter by the neutron star hosted in the Supergiant Fast X-Ray Transient, IGR J18410-0535. The peak in the X-ray luminosity corresponds to the period when the accretion rate was at its maximum. (ESA/AOES Medialab)" title="Illustration of the partial ingestion of a clump of matter by the neutron star hosted in the Supergiant Fast X-Ray Transient, IGR J18410-0535. The peak in the X-ray luminosity corresponds to the period when the accretion rate was at its maximum. (ESA/AOES Medialab)" width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-1774160"/></a>
Illustration of the partial ingestion of a clump of matter by the neutron star hosted in the Supergiant Fast X-Ray Transient, IGR J18410-0535. The peak in the X-ray luminosity corresponds to the period when the accretion rate was at its maximum. (ESA/AOES Medialab)