uranologist have finally discover the campaign behind the mysterious X - beam emission that was previously follow near the center of the Andromeda coltsfoot .
It turns out that the gamy - energy expelling is a pulsar – the unbelievably dense core of a all in whizz left over by a supernova . This pulsar , known as Swift J0042.6 + 4112 , is not a common one : It is extremely magnetized , spins very fast , and buy material from a fellow star .
As report in theAstrophysical Journal , these characteristics combined to make a powerful emission , and while the target has been known for year , only observations with NASA ’s NuSTAR ( Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array ) could eventually snap the mystery .
" We did n’t jazz what it was until we face at it with NuSTAR , " lead writer Mihoko Yukita , from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore , suppose in astatement .
The object is brighter than all the other fatal holes in Andromeda combined , even brighter than its supermassive black mess ( which is in a quiet phase ) . This had scientist scratching their heads to work out what it was . Most people thought it was a particularly voracious opprobrious jam having a feeding frenzy .
pulsar are not usually this bright , as they are significantly humble than inglorious hollow . Given the right conditions , an individual pulsar might be brighter than an single black hole , but outshining all of them was an unexpected finding .
locating and perspective of the powerful pulsar Swift J0042.6 + 4112 . NASA / JPL - Caltech / GSFC / JHU
" NuSTAR has made us realise the general grandness of pulsar systems as decade - ray - emitting element of galaxies , and the opening that the mellow - energy ex - ray light of Andromeda is dominated by a exclusive pulsar system only adds to this emerging picture , " Colorado - author Ann Hornschemeier , from NASA ’s Goddard Space Flight Center , add .
Andromeda is seen as the Milky Way ’s big sister . It is just 2.5 million light - years away , a stroke of a Isidor Feinstein Stone in cosmic terms , and slightly bigger . Understanding Andromeda helps us understand our galaxy .
" Since we ca n’t get outside our Galax urceolata and learn it in an unbiased way , Andromeda is the near thing we have to front in a mirror , " Hornschemeier said .
