Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                               2019 August 13

                    Supernova Cannon Expels Pulsar J0002
    Image Credit: F. Schinzel et al. (NRAO, NSF), Canadian Galactic Plane
   Survey (DRAO), NASA (IRAS); Composition: Jayanne English (U. Manitoba)

   Explanation: What could shoot out a neutron star like a cannon ball? A
   supernova. About 10,000 years ago, the supernova that created the
   nebular remnant CTB 1 not only destroyed a massive star but blasted its
   newly formed neutron star core -- a pulsar -- out into the Milky Way
   Galaxy. The pulsar, spinning 8.7 times a second, was discovered using
   downloadable software Einstein@Home searching through data taken by
   NASA's orbiting Fermi Gamma-Ray Observatory. Traveling over 1,000
   kilometers per second, the pulsar PSR J0002+6216 (J0002 for short) has
   already left the supernova remnant CTB 1, and is even fast enough to
   leave our Galaxy. Pictured, the trail of the pulsar is visible
   extending to the lower left of the supernova remnant. The featured
   image is a combination of radio images from the VLA and DRAO radio
   observatories, as well as data archived from NASA's orbiting IRAS
   infrared observatory. It is well known that supernovas can act as
   cannons, and even that pulsars can act as cannonballs -- what is not
   known is how supernovas do it.

                     Tomorrow's picture: around antares
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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