Oct. 22, 2010 Astronomers in Japan, using an X-ray detector on
the International Space Station, and at Penn State University,
using NASA's Swift space observatory, are announcing the
discovery of an object newly emitting X-rays, which previously
had been hidden inside our Milky Way galaxy in the constellation
Centaurus. The object -- a binary system -- was revealed
recently when an instrument on the International Space Station
named MAXI (Monitor of All-Sky X-ray Image) on the Exposed
Facility of the Japanese Experiment Module "Kibo" caught it in
the act of erupting with a massive blast of X-rays known as an
X-ray nova. The MAXI mission team quickly alerted astronomers
worldwide to the discovery of the new X-ray source at 2:00 a.m.
EDT on Wednesday, 20 October, and NASA's Swift Observatory
quickly conducted an urgent "target-of-opportunity" observation
nine hours later, which allowed for the location of the X-ray
nova to be measured accurately. "The collaboration between the
MAXI and Swift teams allowed us to