Scorpius X-1

Scorpius X-1
Observation data
Epoch J2000.0      Equinox J2000.0
Constellation Scorpius
Right ascension 16h 19m 55.0693s
Declination −15° 38′ 24.018″
Apparent magnitude (V) 12.40
Characteristics
Spectral type M4-M5V
Variable type X-ray binary
Astrometry
Proper motion (μ) RA: −7.185 mas/yr
Dec.: −12.332 mas/yr
Parallax (π)0.4297±0.0220 mas
Distance7,600 ± 400 ly
(2,300 ± 100 pc)
Orbit
Period (P)0.7873114(5) days
Semi-major axis (a)4.37 R
Inclination (i)25–34°
Semi-amplitude (K1)
(primary)
74.9±0.5 km/s
Details
Optical star
Mass0.40 M
Radius1.25 R
Luminosity0.114 L
Temperature2,500–3,050 K
Neutron star
Mass1.4 M
Radius15–20 km
Temperature(3–5)×107 K
Other designations
V818 Sco, H 1620-15, RE J1619-153, XSS J16204-1536, 2U 1617-15, 4U 1617-15
Database references
SIMBADdata

Scorpius X-1 is a low-mass X-ray binary located roughly 9,000 light years away in the constellation Scorpius. Scorpius X-1 was the first extrasolar X-ray source discovered, and, aside from the Sun, it is the strongest apparent non-transient source of X-rays in the sky.