Credits: NASA/CXC/CfA/P. Slane et al.
A Young Pulsar Shows Its Hand
A small, dense object only 12 miles in diameter is responsible for this beautiful X-ray nebula that
spans 150 light years. At the center of this image made by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory
is a very young and powerful pulsar, known as PSR B1509-58, or B1509 for short. The pulsar is
a rapidly spinning neutron star which is spewing energy out into the space around it to create
complex and intriguing structures, including one that resembles a large cosmic hand.In this
image, the lowest energy X-rays that Chandra detects are red, the medium range is green, and
the most energetic ones are colored blue. Astronomers think that B1509 is about 1,700 years old
and it is located about 17,000 light years away. Neutron stars are created when massive stars
run out of fuel and collapse. B1509 is spinning completely around almost 7 times every second
and is releasing energy into its environment at a prodigious rate -- presumably because it has an
intense magnetic field at its surface, estimated to be 15 trillion times stronger than the Earth's
magnetic field.The combination of rapid rotation and ultra-strong magnetic field makes B1509
one of the most powerful electromagnetic generators in the galaxy. This generator drives an
energetic wind of electrons and ions away from the neutron star. As the electrons move through
the magnetized nebula, they radiate away their energy and create the elaborate nebula seen by
Chandra.Image Credits: NASA/CXC/CfA/P. Slane et al.
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