Topic
type of binary star system with a compact object and a high-mass star
A high-mass X-ray binary is a binary star system containing a compact object and a normal star more massive than approximately 8–10 solar masses (M☉). They form when the more massive star in a binary undergoes a supernova explosion to become a neutron star or black hole, and then begins to accrete from the other star, which can be a supergiant, a Be star, or, rarely, a Wolf-Rayet star. The compact object, which is almost always a neutron star, usually accretes from the companion's strong stellar winds, releasing bright X-ray emission that can be observed by astronomers. This period ends when the companion begins to evolve and the binary either spirals in, forming a Thorne-Zytkow object, or becomes a double compact object binary system after the companion star explodes in a supernova.
