Astronomers discover pulsar thought to be only two centuries old
In a new paper astronomers today announced that they have discovered pulsar about 16,000 light years away that they believe is only 240 years old.
It appears that they estimated this young age based on the pulsar’s very fast spin rate (1.36 times per second) and the change of that spin over time.
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In a new paper astronomers today announced that they have discovered pulsar about 16,000 light years away that they believe is only 240 years old.
It appears that they estimated this young age based on the pulsar’s very fast spin rate (1.36 times per second) and the change of that spin over time.
Readers!
My annual February birthday fund-raising drive for Behind the Black is now over. Thank you to everyone who donated or subscribed. While not a record-setter, the donations were more than sufficient and slightly above average.
As I have said many times before, I can’t express what it means to me to get such support, especially as no one is required to pay anything to read my work. Thank you all again!
For those readers who like my work here at Behind the Black and haven't contributed so far, please consider donating or subscribing. My analysis of space, politics, and culture, taken from the perspective of an historian, is almost always on the money and ahead of the game. For example, in 2020 I correctly predicted that the COVID panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Every one of those 2020 conclusions has turned out right.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
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I am curious about the intriguing statement in the cited article that:
“People on Earth would have been able to see the supernova explosion that formed this baby magnetar around 240 years ago, right in the middle of the American and French revolutions.”
My own very quick search of recorded historical supernovae only turned up SN 1604 studied by Kepler as the closest in time. I wonder if any are making a comprehensive effort to determine if this supernova was in fact observed at the time.
Ben K: I actually question their theory that the pulsar is only 240 years old. Seems based on too little information (the spin and its rate of change).