Probe captures massive star and white dwarf in X-ray

The 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. The 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, the probe's principal investigator. The discovery, made by the Wide-field X-ray Telescope of the probe, a space science satellite led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, with participation from the European Space Agency, 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. The advent of Einstein Probe offers the unique chance to spot these fleeting sources and test our understanding of how massive stars evolve," said Erik Kuulkers, the European agency's Project Scientist for Einstein Probe.