What is xray orbits?

X-ray orbits refer to the path that x-ray emissions follow as they orbit around a celestial body such as a neutron star or a black hole. These emissions are produced by the accretion disk, a disk of gas and dust that surrounds the body. The accretion disk gets heated up to millions of degrees, which causes it to emit x-rays.

The x-ray emissions are affected by the gravitational pull of the celestial body they orbit, causing them to follow a highly elliptical orbit. As they approach the body, their wavelength gets stretched due to the gravitational redshift effect, and as they move farther away, their wavelength gets compressed due to the gravitational blueshift effect.

The study of x-ray orbits is essential to understand the characteristics of the celestial bodies emitting the x-rays. The orbit's size, shape, and eccentricity can provide information on the mass and rotational rate of the body as well as the properties of the accretion disk. Studying x-ray orbits can also help astronomers to identify and distinguish between different types of celestial bodies, such as neutron stars or black holes.