A binary star system where one star is a compact object (neutron star or black hole) that strips material from its companion, heating the material to millions of degrees and causing it to emit intense X-rays.
From 'X-ray' (named by Röntgen in 1895 for unknown radiation) and 'binary' from Latin binarius meaning 'consisting of two'. The term emerged in the 1960s when X-ray astronomy began detecting these powerful cosmic X-ray sources.
X-ray binaries are cosmic particle accelerators that can outshine entire galaxies in X-rays! The material spiraling into the compact object reaches temperatures of 100 million Kelvin—six times hotter than the Sun's core—making them natural laboratories for studying extreme physics.
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