Cygnus X-1

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System Information
Star names	Black Hole/Supergiant binary

Overview

Cygnus X-1 is a binary star system composed of a black hole and a supergiant primary, where matter from the supergiant forms an accretion disk around the black hole and generates a vast outflow of X-ray radiation. In 3002 it was visited by the Explorer Corps vessel ECV Herschel that had previously surveyed the star Sador (Gamma Cygni) and then traveled a short distance from there to Cygnus X-1 which they studied from a safe distance.

It seems unlikely that such a system could have planets; even if it did, it seems safe to assume they would be uninhabitable given that the Herschel had to survey the system from a distance (in astronomical terms).

Notes

• Cygnus X-1 is a real stellar object, known to be a source of intense X-ray radiation and thought to be a black hole. Like its BattleTech counterpart, it is closely orbited by a blue supergiant star that gives off matter which forms an accretion disk around Cygnus X-1. However, the real Cygnus X-1 system is located ca. 6,070 light years from the Sol system whereas its BattleTech counterpart could be reached after traveling a short distance from Sador, which in turn was described as merely 815 light years away from Sol (while the real, nonfictional Sador is some 1,800 light years from Sol).

Bibliography

• Explorer Corps (sourcebook)