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

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