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Recent images from NASA reveal a whitish structure whose natural silhouette appears “fractured” by the passage of a mysterious object. Thanks to recent observations, astronomers have been able to investigate the nature of this object.
The fracture. The image below has been captured using data from multiple astronomical observatories. It shows the fracture in G359.13142-0.20005 (abbreviated as G359.13) and identifies the object believed to have caused it: a neutron star, or pulsar.
The “bone.” G359.13 is a cosmic structure resembling bones or snakes. This cosmic filament stretches over approximately 230 light-years and is located about 26,000 light-years from Earth, near the core of the Milky Way.
These filaments emit radio waves that allow scientists to detect them from our planet. According to NASA, their formations are directed by magnetic fields that run parallel to them. The radio waves are produced by energetically charged particles that spiral along these magnetic fields.
A collaborative work. The image above was made possible by combining observations across different segments of the electromagnetic spectrum. As mentioned, the “bone” in the photo is a structure detected at radio wavelengths, thanks to the radio telescopes of the MeerKAT observatory in South Africa.
To identify the cause of this fracture, scientists needed to use X-ray observations, specifically from NASA’s Chandra X-ray space observatory. The primary suspect behind this fracture is hidden within the structure itself. Fortunately, this mysterious object also emits X-rays, suggesting that what lies behind this “fracture” may be a neutron star.
According to NASA, this object emits light in the form of radio waves and X-rays. Additionally, another source of X-rays is generated by electrons and positrons (their antiparticles) accelerated to high energies.
High speeds. The fracture was likely caused by a pulsar moving at extremely high speeds, estimated to be between 994,000 and 2 million mph.
Changing perspective. The image serves as a reminder that things aren’t always as they seem. The light visible to our eyes represents only a tiny fraction of the emissions in the cosmos. Sometimes, the right instruments can detect what’s invisible to the naked eye. Other times, what appears opaque may not be so when you change your perspective.
Images | Andy Holmes | NASA/CXC/Northwestern Univ./F. Yusef-Zadeh et al; RF/SARAO/MeerKat; NASA/CXC/SAO/N. Wolk
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