PSR J0357, Pulsar with Tail, Composite
A spinning neutron star is tied to a mysterious tail - or so it seems. Astronomers using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory have found that this pulsar, known as PSR J0357+3205 (or PSR J0357 for short), apparently has a long, X-ray bright tail streaming away from it. PSR J0357 was originally discovered by the Fermi Gamma Ray Space Telescope in 2009. Astronomers calculate that the pulsar lies about 1,600 light years from Earth and is about half a million years old, which makes it roughly middle-aged for this type of object. If the tail is at the same distance as the pulsar then it stretches for light years in length. This would make it one of the the longest X-ray tails ever associated with a rotation-powered pulsar, a class of pulsar that get its power from the energy lost as the rotation of the pulsar slows down. Release date July 13, 2011.
Size: 3900px × 2994px
Photo credit: © Photo Researchers / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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