ISRO’s AstroSat observatory enables study of X-Ray binary star system

India’s first dedicated Space Astronomy Observatory AstroSat has enabled an international team of scientists to unravel the mysteries surrounding the X-ray binary system named MAXI J1820+070, which hosts a black hole, ISRO said on Tuesday. X-ray binaries, so-called because they emit X-rays, are made up of a normal star and a collapsed star, which may be a white dwarf, neutron star, or a black hole, according to NASA. MAXI J1820+070 is a low-mass X-ray binary with a black hole as a compact object. The study “A Multi-Wavelength Spectral Study of MAXI J1820+070 in the Soft and Hard States” by an international team “presents unique insights into the behaviour of this transient black hole X-ray binary during its 2018 outburst”, ISRO said in a statement.