X-Ray Binaries

In an X-ray binary, material from one star falls towards the other compact star, forming an accretion disk around it. The compact star may be a white dwarf, a neutron star, or a black hole. The in-falling material is accelerated and heats up. A "hot spot" develops where the infalling material colides with the material already in the accretion disk and X-rays are emitted.

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