The astronomer Rafael Bachiller reveals to us in this series the most spectacular phenomena of the Cosmos. Topics of pulsating research, astronomical adventures and scientific news about the Universe analyzed in depth.
Gamma radiation around 20 teraelectronvolts has been detected in the Vela pulsar. This discovery challenges existing theories about neutron stars.
When they exhaust their nuclear fuel, stars with masses greater than 10 times that of the Sun explode like supernovas. The inner region, whose weight is no longer supported by the energy of nuclear fusion reactions, collapses to leave behind a hyperdense star (only about 20 kilometers in diameter) known as a neutron star. A spoonful of this stellar stuff It has as much mass as Mount Everest.
These stellar corpses rotate very quickly, generating periodic pulses of radiation, which is why they are also known as pulsars.
Los pulsars They are, therefore, rotating stars that behave like gigantic magnets. The electrons subjected to their very intense magnetic fields are trapped in the polar regions, forming, during this process, pulses: very narrow jets of radiation that behave like the beam of light from a lighthouse. Every time this type of lighthouse directs its beam of light towards our telescope we receive a short burst of radiation.