Illustration of a neutron star (grey, centre) pulling gas from a companion star (white, left). large gravitational field of the neutron star and the proximity of the companion star creates an accretion disc (yellow) of material being stripped from the companion star. The illustration is based on observations of the binary star system 4U 1916-053. The two stars are about 346,000 kilometres apart, roughly the distance between the Earth and the Moon. The companion star in 4U 1916-053 completes a full orbit of the central neutron star in 50 minutes. The bulge of red gas in the outer part of the disc blocks light from the inner part of the disc once per orbit.