Chandra Release - August 27, 2009

Visual Description: Cygnus X-1

The X-ray image of the black hole system Cygnus X-1 features a bright blue light in the center, surrounded by a dark background. The blue source has a grainy by glowing appearance, reminiscent of a very large but slightly fuzzy star. The blue light is vibrant and intense, with a distinct hue that stands out against the dark background. The Cygnus X-1 system consists of a black hole with a mass about 10 times that of the Sun in a close orbit with a blue supergiant star with a mass of about 20 Suns. Gas flowing away from the supergiant in a fast stellar wind is focused by the black hole, and some of this gas forms a disk that spirals into the black hole. The gravitational energy released by this infalling gas powers the X-ray emission from Cygnus X-1.  This activity is occurring, and hidden from our view, deep inside the bright white area.