Space
Astronomers Find First Ever Star With A Solid Surface
Astronomers have announced the discovery of a magnetized neutron star which seems to have an entirely solid surface.
As far as current scientific knowledge goes, stars are massive celestial bodies that consist primarily of gas and plasma, and do not have a solid surface. The gravitational forces that act on the gases in a star cause them to compress and heat up, eventually leading to nuclear fusion reactions in the core that produce light and heat.
While there are various types of stars, such as red giants, white dwarfs, and neutron stars, none of these types are known to have a solid surface. But that changes now.
An multinational group of 50 researchers analyzed information from the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE), a satellite that NASA and the Italian Space Agency launched in December 2021. Their findings were published in the journal Science. The researchers collected data on the neutron star with the oblique designation 4U 0142+61.
Neutron star 4U 0142+61 is a pulsating X-ray source located in the constellation Cassiopeia, approximately 13,000 light-years from Earth. It is a type of neutron star known as an anomalous X-ray pulsar (AXP), which is characterized by its unusual X-ray emission and strong magnetic field.
4U 0142+61 was first discovered in the 1980s as a persistent X-ray source, and later identified as a pulsar through its periodic X-ray emission. The pulsation period of 4U 0142+61 is around 8.7 seconds, and it exhibits a high degree of stability over long periods of time.
One of the most remarkable features of 4U 0142+61 is its extremely strong magnetic field, which is estimated to be around 10^14 Gauss. This makes it one of the most strongly magnetized neutron stars known, and it is thought to be responsible for the pulsar’s unusual X-ray emission.
The X-ray emission from 4U 0142+61 is believed to be powered by the decay of the pulsar’s magnetic field, which creates a hot, magnetized plasma around the neutron star. The X-rays are emitted as the plasma interacts with the strong magnetic field, and the periodic pulsations are thought to be caused by the rotation of the neutron star and its magnetic field.
Overall, neutron star 4U 0142+61 is an important object of study for astronomers, as it provides insights into the properties and behavior of neutron stars, as well as the mechanisms that produce high-energy radiation in the universe.
Recent observations of 4U 0142+61 using X-ray telescopes have detected “quasi-periodic oscillations” in its X-ray emission. These oscillations are thought to be caused by vibrations or seismic waves traveling through the crust of the neutron star, indicating that the crust is solid.
4U 0142+61 is actually a solid body or so it appears. Based on the most recent information from IXPE, the researchers in Science claim that it is very improbable that the energy originating from 4U would be “compatible with the existence of an atmosphere and just marginally compatible with a condensed surface.”
The atoms in this solid crust, which is most likely formed of iron, would be warped, losing their spherical shape and being stretched and extended in the magnetic field’s direction instead.
These magnetic forces would hold the ions together to create a lattice. In other words, the surface could not be made of neutrons but rather of “normal” stuff, such as the iron that makes up Earth.
“This was completely unexpected. I was convinced there would be an atmosphere,” one of the study’s lead authors, professor Silvia Zane, a member of the IXPE science team, said in a statement. There could be an alternative explanation here, but so far, there isn’t enough data to explore these other possibilities. “A next step is to observe hotter neutron stars with a similar magnetic field, to investigate how the interplay between temperature and magnetic field affects the properties of the star’s surface.”
Reference(s): Research Paper, News Statement
According to NASA, a rogue, hyper-speed object, which is over
27,306 times the size of Earth, is hurtling so fast through our galaxy
that it might break free of the Milky Way.
Scientists say they have determined that the mysterious object was
cruising at a breakneck one million miles per hour when they spotted it
more than 400 light years from Earth. One light-year is equal to six
trillion miles.
Could this latest find be connected to the fake alien invasion that has long been in the pipeline?
The Mail Online reorts: While experts have not determined what the newfound celestial body is, they speculated it is a ‘brown dwarf,’ a star which is larger than a planet but lacks the mass to sustain long-term nuclear fusion in its core like Earth’s sun.
If the object confirmed as a brown dwarf, it would be first-ever to
be documented in a chaotic, hyper-speed orbit capable of breaking free
from our home galaxy.
A coalition of citizen-scientists with NASA’s ‘Backyard Worlds: Planet 9’ projectwere the first to spot the celestial body, the US space agency confirmed this week.
‘I can’t describe the level of excitement,’ German citizen-scientist Martin Kabatnik, a long-time member of NASA’s Backyard Worlds program, said in statement.
‘When I first saw how fast it was moving,’ the Nuremberg-based
researcher confessed, ‘I was convinced it must have been reported
already.’
Backyard Worlds citizen-scientists Martin Kabatnik, Thomas P. Bickle
and Dan Caselden were the first to spot this million mph object a few
years ago, earning the hyper-speed object the catalogued name CWISE
J124909.08+362116.0.
According to astronomer Dr Kyle Kremer,
who has collaborated with them on better understanding the object,
several astrophysics theories could explain how the object, CWISE J1249
for short, could have gotten to its incredible speed.
In one theory, CWISE J1249 rocketed out of a two star or binary star
system after its ‘white dwarf’ sister star died off — collapsing in an
explosive runaway nuclear fusion reaction called a supernova.
Another viable theory has it that CWISE J1249 originated inside a
tight cluster of starts called a ‘globular cluster’ where it was flung
free via the pull of a black hole.
‘When a star encounters a black hole binary,’ Dr Kremer said in a
NASA statement on the discovery, ‘the complex dynamics of this
three-body interaction can toss that star right out of the globular
cluster.’
Sławosz Uznański will be the second Pole in space and the first to fly to the International Space Station (ISS).
Uznański revealed that his mission to the ISS is planned for 2025 and will last about two weeks. He will launch from Cape Canaveral on a rocket provided by SpaceX. This journey not only represents a significant milestone for Uznański but also for Polish space exploration.
Last year, Uznański was officially selected for this mission, after which he commenced his training at the European Space Agency’s facility in Cologne, Germany. Initially planned for 2024, the mission faced delays, but new details have recently emerged on Uznański’s social media profiles.
During his two-week stay on the ISS, he will focus on Polish scientific projects and technology tests, including artificial intelligence applications in space and studies on the effects of microgravity on the human immune system.
The European Space Agency (ESA) and the Polish Space Agency (POLSA) received numerous project proposals for Uznański’s mission. Due to limited space, only seven were selected, highlighting the extensive interest and potential impact of this mission.
Uznański will travel to the ISS in SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule, a vehicle regularly used by NASA for transporting astronauts. The Crew Dragon will be mounted atop a Falcon 9 rocket, with the launch also set to take place at Cape Canaveral. While the exact launch date is yet to be confirmed, preparations are in full swing.
In a move to further his training, Uznański has relocated to Houston, Texas. Starting Monday, he will begin a new training phase at Axiom Space, a partner in the mission, followed by sessions at NASA and SpaceX facilities. This mission not only propels Uznański into space but also significantly advances Poland’s stature in the global aerospace sector.
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