Mystery of Bright Celestial Object Stumps Scientists

Digital Media USA, by Hans Wilder, May 11, 2023 – Scientists have been left bewildered by a celestial object so bright that it defies the laws of physics. NASA has been studying ultraluminous X-ray sources, which are objects that can be up to 10 million times brighter than the sun, in an attempt to unravel their mysteries. However, the Eddington limit, a fundamental law of astrophysics, indicates that objects of such brightness should break apart.

The conundrum deepened after a new study confirmed that M82 X-2, a ULX located 12 million light-years away, is indeed as bright as previously observed, leaving scientists scratching their heads as to how it could exist.

The principle behind the Eddington limit is straightforward: brightness on this scale arises from matter, such as remnants of disintegrating planets or stardust, that falls inward towards a massive object, such as a dead star or a black hole. As this matter is pulled by the object’s intense gravity, it heats up and emits light. The more matter that falls towards the object, the brighter it becomes. However, at a certain point, the radiation from the matter should push it away, and it should stop falling in.

M82 X-2 is exceeding the Eddington limit, prompting scientists to question whether the ULX’s brightness is indeed due to enormous amounts of matter falling into it. One theory posits that the material was concentrated into a cone by strong cosmic winds, which pointed towards Earth, creating a beam of light that looked much brighter than if the material was evenly scattered around the ULX.

However, a new study published in The Astrophysical Journal in April examined M82 X-2 and put this theory to rest, concluding that the brightness of this ULX is caused by limit-breaking amounts of material. The analysis found that M82 X-2 pulled in around 9 billion trillion tons of material per year from a neighbouring star, or about 1.5 times the mass of Earth.

According to a statement by NASA, the leading theory to explain ULXs involves super-strong magnetic fields shooting out of the neutron star. These fields would be so powerful that they would squash the atoms of the matter falling into the star, transforming them from spheres into elongated strings. The radiation from these squished atoms would have a harder time pushing the matter away, thereby explaining why so much matter could fall into the star without breaking apart.

While scientists may never be able to test this theory on Earth, they remain captivated by the enigmatic M82 X-2 and continue to look to the skies in search of answers to the universe’s secrets.