Nova Muscae 1991

Nova Muscae 1991 was a bright X-ray nova—an intense outburst of X-rays from a binary star system—discovered in 1991. It involves a black hole pulling material from a companion star, forming an accretion disk that heats up and emits X-rays. During its outburst, the system’s X-ray and optical emissions surged dramatically, allowing scientists to study black hole behavior and matter under extreme gravity. The event lasted several months, providing valuable insights into accretion processes and black hole physics. Nova Muscae remains an important example in understanding how black holes interact with their surroundings.