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High-mass X-ray BinaryA high-mass X-ray binary (HMXB) is a binary star where one of the components is a neutron star or a black hole. The other component is a massive star, usually a Be star or a blue supergiant. A fraction of the stellar wind of the companion star is captured by the compact star, and produces X-rays as it falls onto the compact object. In HMXB, the massive star dominates the emission of optical light. The compact object is the dominant source of X-rays. The massive stars are very luminous and therefore easily detected. One of the most famous HMXB is Cygnus X-1 which was the first stellar-mass black hole discovered.
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