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Incoming links: Cosmic X-ray source
Cosmic X-ray source Created 2026-10-18 Updated 2026-11-05
A cosmic X-ray source is an astronomical emitter detected through its X-rays. Hot plasma, energetic particles and matter falling into deep gravitational potentials can produce such radiation, so detection alone does not identify a black hole or one unique emission mechanism.
A useful observation proceeds from an excess of detector events to a sky location, spectrum and light curve. Background rejection and response calibration determine which incident photons could have produced those events. The 1962 rocket discovery of cosmic X-ray sources illustrates how a scanning detector and an independent orientation measurement can establish a celestial signal without forming an ordinary optical image.
Nobel Prize in Physics in 2002 2026-10-18
One quarter each went to Raymond Davis Jr. and Masatoshi Koshiba for pioneering astrophysics through detection of cosmic neutrinos. One half went to Riccardo Giacconi for pioneering astrophysics leading to the discovery of cosmic X-ray sources.[ref]
The Nobel Prize in Physics 2002 by Nobel Prize Outreach. Individual official 2002 summary: Davis and Koshiba one quarter each for cosmic neutrinos; Giacconi one half for cosmic X-ray sources.