SUMMARY: Canadian and NASA scientists have captured details of swirling gas as it hovers above the surface of a neutron star. A massive explosion on the surface of the neutron star illuminated the material long enough for scientists to see normally hidden details, such as its accretion disk - a ring of gas swirling around and into the neutron star. The binary pair is located 25,000 light-years from Earth, and it was tracked by NASA's Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer.

What do you think about this story? Post your comments below.

Have there any pictures been taken of this?

What would caused the massive explosion?

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Damien,
International Baccalaureate Physics teacher
Optics, Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing Instrumentation Major
Admin: Pacific Science and Art

Can this possibly be an actual image? This must be an illustration or an artists concept. Please let me know if I'm wrong.

If I still remember correctly, this is what they call, the Type II supernova - massive star explosion... then neither left another neutron star(accretion) or a black hole there..

It's great that accretion of matter onto neutron stars is being seriously considered!

Some of us think this process may not be so rare; a neutron star may be at the center of the Sun. :P

Given the past history of "pictures of discoveries", it is critical that questions about this picture be answered directly, without further delay. <_<

IS THIS AN ACTUAL IMAGE? :blink:

IS THIS AN ARTIST'S ILLUSTRATION? :unsure:

Please answer! Please don't leave us guessing about this "picture of a great new discovery"! :angry:

With kind regards,

Oliver
om@umr.edu
http://www.umr.edu/~om

It's an illustration. If you follow the link to the original NASA story they have a nice animation about it.

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Fraser Cain
Publisher
Universe Today - Free space news delivered by email every weekday.

Thats amazing seeing a stare explode.

The story is very clear exept one thing. It seems to me that the author simply forgot the last word of the phrase when he wrote:

"Current thinking suggests that is takes several years for the carbon ash to buildup to such an extent that it begins to fuse....."

What will the carbon be after the superburst??

If we can't resolve extra-solar planets in our telescopes because of their parent star's "shine", then how can we possibly resolve an accretion disk orbiting just a "few miles" from the surface of an EXPLODING neutron star 25000 light years away?