• → European Space Agency

    • About Science & Technology

    • For Public

    • For Educators

    • ESA

    • Science & Technology

    • INTEGRAL

    • Missions
    • Show All Missions
    • Mission Home
    • Summary
    • Fact Sheet
    • Objectives
    • Mission Team
    • Orbit View
    • Spacecraft
    • Spacecraft
    • 3D Model
    • Instruments
    • Mission Operations
    • Mission Operations
    • Launch Vehicle
    • Launch Campaign
    • Orbit/Navigation
    • Science Operations
    • ISDC
    • ISOC
    • Data Archive (ESA)
    • Data Archive (ISDC)
    • Resources
    • News Archive
    • Multimedia Gallery
    • Publication Archive
    • Calendar of Events
    • Services
    • Contact Us
    • Subscribe
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Bookmark and Share

    Artist's impression of Cygnus X-1

    Date: 16 Dec 2002
    Copyright: ESA. Illustration by Martin Kornmesser, ESA/ECF

    Cygnus X-1 is located about 10 000 light years from Earth. It is one of the more violent places in our Galaxy. The black hole, Cygnus X-1, contains about five times the mass of the Sun, squeezed into a tiny sphere a few kilometres in diameter. Because of its density, it possesses an enormous gravitational field, which is pulling matter away from its companion star, HDE 226868. The companion is a massive star, known as a blue supergiant. It has an extremely hot surface temperature of 31 000K. As the gas spirals towards the black hole, it is heated even further and gives off X-rays and gamma rays. Uniquely, Integral can detect all these types of radiation.


    Last Update: 10 Jun 2005

    • Shortcut URL
    • http://sci.esa.int/jump.cfm?oid=32709
    • Latest selection
    • High-mass X-ray binary systems in the Milky Way
    • Distribution of high-mass X-ray binary stars and star-forming complexes
    • Artist's impression of a highly obscured HMXB
    • Image Hi-Res Versions
    • Hi-Res [jpg]
      418.12 kb.
    • Hi-Res [jpg]
      1,059.08 kb.
    • Hi-Res [tif]
      26,102.20 kb.

    Connect with us

    • RSS
    • Youtube
    • Twitter
    • Flickr
    • Google Buzz
    • Livestream
    • Subscribe
    • App Store
    • ESA Science Twitter

    Follow ESA science

    • Copyright 2000 - 2013 © European Space Agency. All rights reserved.

    • Terms and Conditions