Emissions surrounding Black Widow pulsar, illustration
Conceptual illustration showing a cloud of high-energy particles flowing behind the rapidly rotating Black Widow pulsar B1957+20 (white, right). The pulsar is also moving through the galaxy at a high speed which creates an outer bow shock wave visible to optical telescopes. The pressure behind this outer shock wave creates a second shock wave that sweeps the cloud of high-energy particles back from the pulsar to form the cocoon. The Black Widow pulsar is emitting intense high-energy radiation that appears to be destroying a companion star through evaporation. It is one of a class of extremely rapidly rotating, very old neutron stars called millisecond pulsars.
Size: 3682px × 2845px
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Photo credit: © NASA/CXC/M.WEISS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: -, artwork, astronomical, astronomy, astrophysical, astrophysics, b1957+20, black, bow, galactic, galaxy, illustration, j1311-3430, millisecond, pulsar, radiation, shock, wave, widow
