Artist’s animation of the pulsar PSR J1023+0038
This artist’s animation shows the pulsar PSR J1023+0038 stealing gas from its companion star. This gas accumulates in a disc around the pulsar, slowly falls towards it, and is eventually expelled in a narrow jet. In addition, there is a wind of particles blowing away from the pulsar, represented here by a cloud of very small dots. This wind clashes with the infalling gas, heating it up and making the system glow brightly in X-rays and ultraviolet and visible light. Eventually, blobs of this hot gas are expelled along the jet, and the pulsar returns to the initial, fainter state, repeating the cycle. This pulsar has been observed to switch incessantly between these two states every few seconds or minutes.
Credit:ESO/M. Kornmesser
About the Video
Id: | eso2315b |
Release date: | 30 August 2023, 14:00 |
Related releases: | eso2315 |
Duration: | 38 s |
Frame rate: | 25 fps |
About the Object
Name: | PSR J1023+0038 |
Type: | Milky Way : Star : Evolutionary Stage : Neutron Star : Pulsar |
Category: | Stars |