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Illustration of Shock Wave Around Millisecond Pulsar
In binary star systems such as 47 Tuc W, which contains a normal star and an extremely rapidly rotating neutron star called a millisecond pulsar (MSP), matter is pulled from the normal star by the gravitational tug of the more massive neutron star. In contrast to X-ray binary systems, this matter (yellow streamer in illustration) does not form a hot disk around the neutron star. Instead, it is pushed back by the pressure of a wind of fast-moving particles (blue) produced by the pulsar. The resulting shock wave (white) is a source of high-energy X-rays.
(Illustration: NASA/CfA/S.Bogdanov)
In binary star systems such as 47 Tuc W, which contains a normal star and an extremely rapidly rotating neutron star called a millisecond pulsar (MSP), matter is pulled from the normal star by the gravitational tug of the more massive neutron star. In contrast to X-ray binary systems, this matter (yellow streamer in illustration) does not form a hot disk around the neutron star. Instead, it is pushed back by the pressure of a wind of fast-moving particles (blue) produced by the pulsar. The resulting shock wave (white) is a source of high-energy X-rays.
(Illustration: NASA/CfA/S.Bogdanov)
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Chandra X-ray Image of 47 Tuc W
This Chandra X-ray image shows the full-field view of the globular star cluster 47 Tucanae. Located within this image is 47 Tuc W, a double, or binary star system consisting of a normal star and a pulsar. The pulsar rotates every 2.35 milliseconds. Chandra's image of 47 Tucanae shows about 20 millisecond pulsars in the globular cluster, but 47 Tuc W stands out from the crowd because it produces more high-energy X-rays than the others.
(Credit: NASA/CXC/Northwestern U./C.Heinke et al.)
Scale: Image is 2.5 arcmin per side
This Chandra X-ray image shows the full-field view of the globular star cluster 47 Tucanae. Located within this image is 47 Tuc W, a double, or binary star system consisting of a normal star and a pulsar. The pulsar rotates every 2.35 milliseconds. Chandra's image of 47 Tucanae shows about 20 millisecond pulsars in the globular cluster, but 47 Tuc W stands out from the crowd because it produces more high-energy X-rays than the others.
(Credit: NASA/CXC/Northwestern U./C.Heinke et al.)
Scale: Image is 2.5 arcmin per side
3
Ground-based Optical Image of 47 Tucanae
This optical image of the globular cluster 47 Tucanae was taken with the European Southern Observatory's Danish 1.54-m Telescope at La Silla, Chile.
Scale: Image is 6.6 x 8 arcmin.
(Credit: ESO/Danish 1.54-m/W. Keel et al.)
This optical image of the globular cluster 47 Tucanae was taken with the European Southern Observatory's Danish 1.54-m Telescope at La Silla, Chile.
Scale: Image is 6.6 x 8 arcmin.
(Credit: ESO/Danish 1.54-m/W. Keel et al.)
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Chandra X-ray Image with Scale Bar
Scalebar: 0.5 arcmin
(Credit: NASA/CXC/Northwestern U./C.Heinke et al.)
Scalebar: 0.5 arcmin
(Credit: NASA/CXC/Northwestern U./C.Heinke et al.)
Return to 47 Tuc W (19 Jul 05)
Revised: July 16, 2008