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Saturday, September 28, 2013

Neutron Star IGR J18245-2452


IGR J18245-2452: A binary system that includes a pulsar located about 18,000 light years from Earth.

These two images from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory show a large change in X-ray brightness of a rapidly rotating neutron star, or pulsar, between 2006 and 2013. The neutron star - the extremely dense remnant left behind by a supernova - is in a tight orbit around a low mass star. New observations with both X-ray and radio telescopes of IGR J18245-2452 provide important information about the evolution of pulsars in binary systems.

Scale: Each panel is 1.2 arcmin across (About 6 light years).


Image credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/ICE/A.Papitto et al

Note: For more information, see IGR J18245-2452: Neutron Star Undergoes Wild Behavior Changes.

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