Probe catches rare evidence of massive star evolution

European Space Agency announced on Wednesday that the Einstein Probe satellite has captured a rare X-ray flash from an unusual celestial pair, shedding new light on the interactions and evolution of massive stars.

"The discovery opens a new way to explore how massive stars interact and evolve, confirming the unique power of the mission to uncover fleeting X-ray sources in the sky," said Yuan Weimin, EP's principal investigator.

The discovery, made by the Widefield X-ray Telescope of EP, a space science satellite led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, with participation from the ESA, the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics and the French National Centre for Space Studies, marks a significant breakthrough in understanding fleeting X-ray sources in the universe.