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Breakthrough Measurement of Cygnus X-1's Polarization Unveiled

11/24/2025

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Summary

Story summary

An international team of physicists, including researchers from Washington University in St. Louis, used the XL-Calibur balloon-borne telescope to measure Cygnus X-1's hard X-ray polarization, yielding the most precise measurement to date.
Cygnus X-1 is located about 7,000 light-years away.
The findings were published in The Astrophysical Journal.
The team plans future observations of additional black holes and neutron stars on a 2027 Antarctic launch.

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Story summary

An international team of physicists, including researchers from Washington University in St. Louis, used the XL-Calibur balloon-borne telescope to measure Cygnus X-1's hard X-ray polarization, yielding the most precise measurement to date.
Cygnus X-1 is located about 7,000 light-years away.
The findings were published in The Astrophysical Journal.
The team plans future observations of additional black holes and neutron stars on a 2027 Antarctic launch.