Neutron Star's Light Is More Polarized Than Expected
In the binary system Cyg X-2, a neutron star pulls matter from a normal companion star. The infalling gas spirals in, heats up to millions of degrees, and shines brightly in X-rays. Astronomers pointed two space telescopes, IXPE and NuSTAR, at this object and, for the first time, measured in detail how polarized that light is.