Cygnus X-1

[ eks-wuhn ]

noun

, Astronomy.

1. a strong x-ray source in the constellation Cygnus, consisting of a binary system of which one component may be a black hole.

Example Sentences

The first black hole ever discovered was Cygnus X-1, located within the Milky Way in the constellation of Cygnus, the Swan.

From Scientific American

A trio of studies in 2011 suggested Cygnus X-1 was located about 6,070 light-years from Earth, but the new research suggests the black hole is actually about 7,240 light-years away.

From Scientific American

To estimate the black hole's distance, scientists use the so-called parallax technique, which examines Cygnus X-1 compared to its background.

From Scientific American

"Using that same idea, one can calculate how far away Cygnus X-1 was by looking at it from different vantage points as Earth moved around the sun."

From Scientific American

This size makes Cygnus X-1 the largest stellar-mass black hole detected to date with observations of light.

From Scientific American