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X-ray Images of PSR B1259-63/LS 2883
These images contain X-ray evidence from Chandra that a clump of stellar material has been jettisoned away from a double star system at incredibly high speeds. Researchers think that the pulsar knocked out the chunk of debris, which spans over a hundred times the size of the Solar System, when it collided with the disk around the massive star while traveling in its elliptical orbit. This trio of images shows Chandra observations taken between December 2011 and February 2014. The bright source in the center of these images is the binary system, while the smaller point-like source to the lower right seen in the second two observations is the clump that has been dislodged.
(Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/PSU/G.Pavlov et al;)
These images contain X-ray evidence from Chandra that a clump of stellar material has been jettisoned away from a double star system at incredibly high speeds. Researchers think that the pulsar knocked out the chunk of debris, which spans over a hundred times the size of the Solar System, when it collided with the disk around the massive star while traveling in its elliptical orbit. This trio of images shows Chandra observations taken between December 2011 and February 2014. The bright source in the center of these images is the binary system, while the smaller point-like source to the lower right seen in the second two observations is the clump that has been dislodged.
(Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/PSU/G.Pavlov et al;)
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Illustration of PSR B1259-63/LS 2883
X-ray evidence from Chandra suggests that a clump of stellar material has been jettisoned away from a double star system at incredibly high speeds. Researchers think that the pulsar knocked out the chunk of debris, which spans over a hundred times the size of the Solar System, when it collided with the disk around the massive star while traveling in its elliptical orbit lasting 41 months. This artist's illustration shows the pulsar just after having collided with the disk.
(Credit: NASA/CXC/M.Weiss)
X-ray evidence from Chandra suggests that a clump of stellar material has been jettisoned away from a double star system at incredibly high speeds. Researchers think that the pulsar knocked out the chunk of debris, which spans over a hundred times the size of the Solar System, when it collided with the disk around the massive star while traveling in its elliptical orbit lasting 41 months. This artist's illustration shows the pulsar just after having collided with the disk.
(Credit: NASA/CXC/M.Weiss)
Return to PSR B1259-63/LS 2883 (July 22, 2015)
Revised: November 29, 2022