Legacy Astronomical Images > Galactic Sources Series > Pulsars/Neutron Stars Unit

Description

A Neutron Star is the collapsed core of a massive star, formed after the star goes supernova. The name derives from the fact that neutron stars are so compact (one with the mass of the Sun will only be about as big as a city), that the electrons and protons of the atomic nuclei are jammed together into neutrons. A pulsar is a rapidly rotating neutron star that emits beams of radiation along a misaligned magnetic axis.

Collection Items

Radio Pulsar / White Dwarf
Description: Radio pulsars and white dwarf stars are formed when stars cave in and die. Both pulsars and white dwarfs are extremely massive and compact: pulsars are 500.000 times heavier than the earth, but only 10 miles in diameter. That means a coffee mug…

Pulsars in M62
Description: Preliminary pulse-profiles for the new binary millisec-ond pulsars overlaid on an optical image of M62 (courtesy of the Second Digital Sky Survey, copyright (c) 1993-8 by AAO and AURA).

The Crab Pulsar and Nebula
Description: The Crab Pulsar and the Crab Nebula are one impressive pair, especially in this unique image made by a duo of NRAO radio telescopes. The Nebula was formed when the original star exploded: this 'supernova' explosion was so bright that in 1054 A.D it…

VLA Radio & Chandra X-Ray Composite of the Mouse
Description: The Mouse (a.k.a. G359.23-0.82) gets its name from its appearance in radio images that show a compact snout, a bulbous body, and a remarkable long, narrow, tail that extends for about 55 light years. This image, a composite X-ray (gold) and radio…

Pulsar B1757-24
Description: A energetic nebula created by the pulsar B1757-24. In this false color image blue indicates fainter radio emission, yellow and orange more intense radio emission. The pulsar lies at the western (right) edge of the nebula at the brightest spot on the…

Magnetar SGR 1900+14
Description: Astronomers using the VLA have found evidence for the most powerful magnetic field ever seen in the universe by observing an "afterglow" of subatomic particles ejected from a magnetar -- a neutron star with a magnetic field billions of times stronger…

Pulsar B1757 and Supernova Remnant G5.4-1.2
Description: Color representation of radio emission from the supernova remnant G5.4-1.2 (large scale image) and the associated pulsar B1757-24 (insets). Blue indicates fainter radio emission, yellow and orange more intense radio emission. The supernova remnant…

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