Scientists finally solve century-old mystery of star with unexpected X-ray emissions
By Robert Lea
Published on March 25, 2026.
Astronomers have solved a century-old mystery of the star gamma-Cas, located around 550 light-years away and visible over Europe, by using the XRISM (X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission) X-ray spacecraft to discover that the star is being slowly devoured by an elusive stellar companion. This discovery solves a mystery that has baffled scientists for over a century. The star, which is 19 times the size of the sun and up to 65,000 times brighter than our, first became a mystery in 1866 when it was discovered to possess a unique hydrogen "fingerprint" unlike other stars. The hydrogen feature of gamma-C resulted in a new classification of stellar bodies, so-called Be stars.
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