Intense soft X-ray flux from Her-1

An intense flux of soft X-rays extending up to at least 1 keV has been observed from Her X-1. If the soft X-ray intensity is corrected for interstellar absorption the luminosity between 0.16 and 1 keV is comparable to that from 2-10 keV. The soft X-rays are modulated with the 1.24 sec period observed at higher energies but are approximately 180 deg out of phase with the high energy flux. These results extend the detection of this flux to higher energy, a different binary phase, and to a time 19 periods (of the 35 day cycle) later. These observations suggest that this soft emission is a stable feature in the spectrum of this source during its X-ray on state and that this emission is local to Her X-1.