Galaxies (Feb 2020)

From SN 2010da to NGC 300 ULX-1: Ten Years of Observations of an Unusual High Mass X-Ray Binary in NGC 300

  • Breanna A. Binder,
  • Stefania Carpano,
  • Marianne Heida,
  • Ryan Lau

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/galaxies8010017
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 8, no. 1
p. 17

Abstract

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In May 2010, an intermediate luminosity optical transient was discovered in the nearby galaxy NGC 300 by a South African amateur astronomer. In the decade since its discovery, multi-wavelength observations of the misnamed “SN 2010da” have continually reshaped our understanding of this high mass X-ray binary system. In this review, we present an overview of the multi-wavelength observations and attempt to understand the 2010 transient event, and later, the reclassification of this system as NGC 300 ULX-1: a red supergiant + neutron star ultraluminous X-ray source.

Keywords