Simultaneous observations of Cen X-3 with the INTEGRAL observatory and Spectr-RG/ART-XC telescope
On 30 Jul, 2019 the INTEGRAL observatory performed observations of the
well known X-ray pulsar
Cen X-3 simultaneously with the ART-XC telescope onboard the recently
launched
Spectrum-Roentgen-Gamma (Spectr-RG) mission. During these observations ART-XC achieved its
first light, demonstrating that all seven modules of the telescope are
well operating. The Spectr-RG observatory was successively launched into
orbit on 13 Jul, 2019 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome and is on its journey
to the 2nd Lagrangian (L2) point of the Sun-Earth system.
The image shows Cen X-3, a rapidly rotating neutron star (with a spin
period of ~4.8 sec), located in a binary system with the massive blue
giant at a distance more then 18000 light years from the Earth. The
source is nicely detected by the INTEGRAL/IBIS telescope in hard X-rays
(together with two other X-ray pulsars,
1E1145.1-6141
and
GX 301-2), as well as by the INTEGRAL/JEM-X telescope in the 5-20 keV
energy band and by seven modules of the ART-XC telescope in the 5-16 keV
energy band. All three instruments also clearly register the pulsating
signal with the period of 4.8 s (green pulse phase curves on each panel).
The performed observations will be used for the cross-calibration of the
ART-XC telescope.
