{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.ultraluminous-x-ray-source","code":"thing-q129686","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q129686/","name":"ultraluminous X-ray source","alternateNames":[],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.2.0-wave.1","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Physical world and living systems","entryKind":"thing","plane":"PHY","domain":["PHY.SPC"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"An astronomical X-ray source outside a galaxy nucleus whose luminosity exceeds about 10^39 erg per second, brighter than expected for a stellar-mass black hole accreting at the Eddington limit; many are now known to be neutron stars or black holes accreting at super-Eddington rates, and some were proposed as intermediate-mass black holes.","purpose":"Let an agent explain ultraluminous X-ray sources by definition, proposed explanations, key discoveries and data, with attributed and current findings.","scope":{"in":[],"out":[],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Extreme X-ray luminosity","Off-nuclear location","Super-Eddington accretion in many","Some with pulsations"],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"definition","name":"Definition","description":"What counts.","layers":[{"id":"threshold","name":"Threshold","description":"Luminosity limit.","findings":[{"id":"threshold-finding","name":"Threshold","description":"Luminosity threshold.","questions":[{"text":"What luminosity threshold defines a ULX, and why the Eddington limit matters?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"How is luminosity measured from X-ray flux?","kind":"measurement"}]}]},{"id":"location","name":"Location","description":"Off-nuclear.","findings":[{"id":"location-finding","name":"Location","description":"Location.","questions":[{"text":"Is the source outside the galaxy nucleus?","kind":"boundary"},{"text":"Which galaxy hosts it?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"models","name":"Models","description":"Explanations.","layers":[{"id":"super","name":"Super-Eddington","description":"Accretion models.","findings":[{"id":"super-finding","name":"Super-Eddington","description":"Super-Eddington accretion.","questions":[{"text":"How can neutron stars and black holes exceed the Eddington limit, according to models?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"What evidence supports it?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"imbh","name":"IMBH","description":"Intermediate-mass black holes.","findings":[{"id":"imbh-finding","name":"IMBH","description":"Intermediate-mass black holes.","questions":[{"text":"Which ULXs are proposed as intermediate-mass black holes, and how strong is the evidence?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Are the claims disputed?","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]},{"id":"discoveries","name":"Discoveries","description":"Key findings.","layers":[{"id":"pulsars","name":"Pulsars","description":"Pulsating ULXs.","findings":[{"id":"pulsars-finding","name":"Pulsars","description":"Pulsating ULXs.","questions":[{"text":"What did the discovery of pulsating ULXs show, according to the discovering teams?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"When was it made?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"examples","name":"Examples","description":"Notable sources.","findings":[{"id":"examples-finding","name":"Examples","description":"Notable sources.","questions":[{"text":"Which ULXs are best studied?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which telescopes observed them?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"learning","name":"Learning","description":"Explaining.","layers":[{"id":"explain","name":"Explain","description":"Plain language.","findings":[{"id":"explain-finding","name":"Explain","description":"Plain explanation.","questions":[{"text":"How can ULXs be explained simply and accurately?","kind":"action"},{"text":"Which caveats apply?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"data","name":"Data","description":"Catalogues.","findings":[{"id":"data-finding","name":"Data","description":"Catalogues.","questions":[{"text":"Which X-ray catalogues list ULXs?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"How can the data be accessed?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Report ultraluminous X-ray sources and their proposed nature from published research.","Explain competing interpretations, attributing each."],"mustNot":["Present an object's nature as settled when it is debated.","Misattribute observations or discoveries."],"requiresHuman":["Announcing a claimed intermediate-mass black hole in public material."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Overstated discoveries erode public trust in astronomy.","Correct attribution gives credit to the research teams."],"affectedParties":["The public and students","Researchers"]},"owners":{"steward":"Nobody: a class of astronomical objects; catalogues record them.","roles":[],"masterSystems":["X-ray source catalogues"]},"relations":[{"target":"Q2154519","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"astrophysical X-ray source","type":"related","note":"category"},{"target":"accretion","type":"related","note":"mechanism"},{"target":"neutron star","type":"related","note":"compact object"},{"target":"dark matter halo","type":"related","note":"galactic context"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.ultraluminous-x-ray-source","Wikidata: Q129686 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q129686)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"required","items":["Apparent isotropic X-ray luminosity:  erg/s - Inferred from measured X-ray flux and distance under an isotropic emission assumption, with classification commonly requiring luminosity above about 10^39 erg/s.","Distance:  Mpc - Usually assigned from an independently estimated distance to the host galaxy.","Projected separation from the galactic nucleus:  pc - Derived from the angular separation between the source and the host nucleus together with the host distance."]},"recognition":{"applicability":"required","items":["Bright off-nuclear X-ray point sources","Luminosity above the Eddington limit for stellar-mass objects","Active galactic nuclei sit at galaxy centres","Not visible optically as such; point sources in X-ray images of nearby galaxies."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["explain what makes a source ultraluminous","summarise competing explanations with attribution","describe pulsating ULX discoveries","find X-ray catalogues"]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Presenting intermediate-mass black hole claims as settled","Confusing ULXs with active galactic nuclei"]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["No specific regulation"]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["High-energy astrophysics.","neutron star ULXs (pulsating)","black hole ULXs","candidate intermediate-mass black holes","hyperluminous X-ray sources"]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q129686: ultraluminous X-ray source","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q129686","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: Ultraluminous X-ray source","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultraluminous_X-ray_source","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Should pulsating ULXs be a separate entry?","How should X-ray catalogues be linked?","How should competing models be attributed?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q129686/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q129686/spec.json"],"providers":["Claude"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-11T15:19:38Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"filled","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-07T10:10:25+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass"},"score":1.0}}