The Vela Pulsar s Dynamic Jet
Explanation:
The Vela
pulsar is a neutron star born over 10,000 years ago
in a massive
supernova explosion.
Above, false-color
x-ray images from the
Chandra
Observatory reveal details of this remnant pulsar's
x-ray bright nebula
along with emission from a spectacular jet of
high-energy particles.
In this
time-lapse series
of pictures, the jet
seems to dance
around very much like an out-of-control firehose,
shooting along the pulsar's
direction of motion (toward the top right corner)
to a length of about half a light-year while
whipping back and forth at about half the speed of light.
Highly magnetized and spinning over 10 times a second,
the Vela pulsar is thought of as a
cosmic
high-voltage generator, powering the x-ray nebula and
dynamic cosmic jet.
A
mere 800 light-years away the
pulsar itself is located near
the lower left corner in the four panels.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
