Astronomers have discovered a cosmic miracle—”Guitar Nebula,” a luminous structure in space shaped like a flaming guitar. by capturing NASAof Chandra X-ray Observatory and Hubble Space Telescopethis extraordinary phenomenon is powered by PSR B2224+65, a rapidly spinning neutron star or pulsar. As a pulsar hurtles through a galaxy at high speed, it ejects high-energy particles that form the nebula’s distinctive contours and hot filaments that stretch more than 12 trillion miles.
In addition to its stunning visuals, the Guitar Nebula provides important insights into pulsars, the production of antimatter, and the movement of high-energy particles through interstellar space, opening a window into the complex workings of the universe.
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What is Guitar Nebula?
The Guitar Nebula is named for its glowing guitar-like shape. It’s sculpted from PSR B2224+65, a pulsar, a rapidly spinning neutron star formed after the explosive death of a massive star. The pulsar hurtles through space, ejecting high-energy particles that create bubble-like structures in its wake that give the nebula its distinctive outline.
The pulsar itself sits at the tip of the “guitar,” emitting an extraordinary filament of X-rays that stretches about 12 trillion miles. This fiery filament filled with high-energy particles and antimatter is the product of the pulsar’s extreme rotation and magnetic field.
Tour: NASA’s Chandra, Hubble tune into ‘Flame Jet’ Guitar Nebula
The incredible energy of pulsars flips Einstein’s famous equation E = mc², creating matter from energy. Particles such as electrons and their antimatter counterparts, positrons, are created and rotate along the pulsar’s magnetic field lines, producing the X-rays that Chandra observed.
As the pulsar moves through space, it interacts with denser regions of gas, causing particles to escape and form glowing filaments. The filament acts like a “cosmic blowtorch,” illuminating the nebula as it travels through interstellar space.
Guitar Nebula: Cosmic Time-Lapse
Astronomers pieced together nearly three decades of observations from Chandra and Hubble to create a “movie” about the pulsar’s journey from 1994 to 2021. Time-lapse photography revealed subtle changes in the brightness of the filament, likely affected by changes in the surrounding environment.
Why is the discovery of the Guitar Nebula important?
In addition to its mesmerizing visuals, the Guitar Nebula provides valuable clues about how energetic particles like electrons and positrons travel through the Milky Way. This information deepens our understanding of pulsars and their role in shaping interstellar space.
The findings, published in the Astrophysical Journal and supported by NASA’s Chandra X-ray Center and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, mark another milestone in unraveling the mysteries of the universe.
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