October 4, 2016

The supernova remnant DEM L241 with the gamma-ray binary LMC P3 in the circle (Image X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO/F. Seward et al; Optical: NOAO/CTIO/MCELS, DSS)

An article published in “The Astrophyisical Journal” describes the discovery of the first gamma-ray binary found outside the Milky Way, called LMC P3. A team of researchers led by Robin Corbet at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center used the Fermi space telescope to discover this couple in the Large Magellanic Cloud formed by a giant blue star and a companion that might be a neutron star or a black hole that are interacting producing cyclic gamma-ray emission.