NGC 7793 P13: Neutron Star's Dramatic Reawakening After Decade

• Astronomers observed the neutron star NGC 7793 P13, which exhibited dramatic changes in X-ray brightness and rotation speed.
• The star's luminosity fluctuated over 100-fold between 2011 and 2024, dimming significantly in 2021 before rebounding to record X-ray emission levels by 2024.
• P13's rotation rate accelerated and decelerated in direct correlation with its brightness, demonstrating a strong link between accretion rate and rotational changes.
• Supercritical accretion, where gas falls onto the star at extraordinary rates, forms accretion columns that emit intense X-ray radiation, powering its ultraluminous emission.
• The findings provide new insights into ultraluminous X-ray sources and inform models of supercritical accretion around neutron stars and black holes.

Why It Matters: It explains how neutron stars produce extreme energy outputs.