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New Kind of Cosmic Object
Discovered
Brian Handwerk
for National Geographic News
February 15, 2006
A multinational team of astronomers
has discovered an entirely new kind of
cosmic object. The small, highly
compressed neutron stars, named
Rotating Radio Transients (RRATs),
are likely related to pulsars.
Neutron stars are the staggeringly
dense cores of massive stars left
behind after supernova explosions.
The objects contain one and a half
times the mass of our own sun packed
into a space the size of a large city.
"These [new objects] are basically a
new type of neutron star, but we're not
exactly sure how they fit together with
the other types," said astronomer
Ingrid Stairs, of the University of British
Columbia in Vancouver.
"They are clearly related to radio
pulsars somehow, but we'll need more
research [to understand the relation]."
Discovered
Brian Handwerk
for National Geographic News
February 15, 2006
A multinational team of astronomers
has discovered an entirely new kind of
cosmic object. The small, highly
compressed neutron stars, named
Rotating Radio Transients (RRATs),
are likely related to pulsars.
Neutron stars are the staggeringly
dense cores of massive stars left
behind after supernova explosions.
The objects contain one and a half
times the mass of our own sun packed
into a space the size of a large city.
"These [new objects] are basically a
new type of neutron star, but we're not
exactly sure how they fit together with
the other types," said astronomer
Ingrid Stairs, of the University of British
Columbia in Vancouver.
"They are clearly related to radio
pulsars somehow, but we'll need more
research [to understand the relation]."
An illustration of a pulsar showing a cutaway of its magnetic field
lines and a radio beam emanating from its poles.
A multinational team of astronomers has discovered an entirely
new kind of cosmic object—a Rotating Radio Transient, or
RRAT—that is likely related to pulsars.
Image courtesy Russell Kightley Media, © CSIRO Australia
lines and a radio beam emanating from its poles.
A multinational team of astronomers has discovered an entirely
new kind of cosmic object—a Rotating Radio Transient, or
RRAT—that is likely related to pulsars.
Image courtesy Russell Kightley Media, © CSIRO Australia
Frank Riccardi and Eyepod...2008 eyepod.org/usassociates.us
Pulsars are neutron stars that spin about once a second and are often described as cosmic lighthouses. Their
magnetic poles emit electromagnetic radio waves, so each time a pulsar spins, it sends out a radio blip.
But the RRATs' short, intermittent bursts are less frequent, spaced from four minutes to three hours apart.
"They're kind of like a flickering lighthouse, one where the power is going out on a regular basis," Stairs explained.
"So instead of a blip every time it spins, there is one every few minutes or every few hours."
The RRAT radio waves were spotted using Australia's Parkes Radio Telescope. The find is reported in this week's
issue of the journal Nature.
The objects could otherwise be normal pulsars that are less able to emit radio waves because of age, a different
magnetic field structure, or some other unknown reason.
New Objects May Be Plentiful
Eleven RRATs have been identified so far, but researchers suggest that the new objects may far outnumber
conventional radio pulsars.
"These things were very difficult to pin down," said Dick Manchester, a member of the research team and a
scientist with the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization.
"For each object, we've been detecting radio emission for less than one second a day."
Because the new objects are usually silent, the odds of spotting one are low. The identification of 11 RRATs
therefore suggests that many more—perhaps several hundred thousand—are silently spinning in the galaxy.
Scientists are particularly interested in neutron stars because they offer a look at super high-density matter.
"Pulsars in many ways are the most extreme objects out there, next to black holes," Stairs, of the University of
British Columbia, said. "They have extreme conditions that you could never produce in a lab."
Perhaps these are what I've been hearing in my fillings lately... FRJ
Crab Nebula Pulsar Movie
magnetic poles emit electromagnetic radio waves, so each time a pulsar spins, it sends out a radio blip.
But the RRATs' short, intermittent bursts are less frequent, spaced from four minutes to three hours apart.
"They're kind of like a flickering lighthouse, one where the power is going out on a regular basis," Stairs explained.
"So instead of a blip every time it spins, there is one every few minutes or every few hours."
The RRAT radio waves were spotted using Australia's Parkes Radio Telescope. The find is reported in this week's
issue of the journal Nature.
The objects could otherwise be normal pulsars that are less able to emit radio waves because of age, a different
magnetic field structure, or some other unknown reason.
New Objects May Be Plentiful
Eleven RRATs have been identified so far, but researchers suggest that the new objects may far outnumber
conventional radio pulsars.
"These things were very difficult to pin down," said Dick Manchester, a member of the research team and a
scientist with the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization.
"For each object, we've been detecting radio emission for less than one second a day."
Because the new objects are usually silent, the odds of spotting one are low. The identification of 11 RRATs
therefore suggests that many more—perhaps several hundred thousand—are silently spinning in the galaxy.
Scientists are particularly interested in neutron stars because they offer a look at super high-density matter.
"Pulsars in many ways are the most extreme objects out there, next to black holes," Stairs, of the University of
British Columbia, said. "They have extreme conditions that you could never produce in a lab."
Perhaps these are what I've been hearing in my fillings lately... FRJ
Crab Nebula Pulsar Movie
The movie shows dynamic rings,
wisps and jets of matter and
antimatter around the pulsar in the
Crab Nebula as observed in X-ray
light by Chandra. The movie was
made from 7 still images of Chandra
observations taken between
November 2000 and April 2001. To
produce a movie of reasonable
length the sequence was looped
several times, as in looped weather
satellite images. The inner ring is
about one light year across.
[Runtime: 0:15]
Credit: NASA/CXC/ASU/J.Hester et
al.
wisps and jets of matter and
antimatter around the pulsar in the
Crab Nebula as observed in X-ray
light by Chandra. The movie was
made from 7 still images of Chandra
observations taken between
November 2000 and April 2001. To
produce a movie of reasonable
length the sequence was looped
several times, as in looped weather
satellite images. The inner ring is
about one light year across.
[Runtime: 0:15]
Credit: NASA/CXC/ASU/J.Hester et
al.
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