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.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
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"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
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.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
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).