| Pokey pulsar
mystifies astronomers
The discovery of a
radio pulsar with a rotational period of 8.51 seconds challenges
scientists’ basic assumptions about how the fast-spinning stars tick.
References:
Wolszczan, A.
1999. Life beyond the pulsar death valley. Nature 400(Aug.
26):812.
Young, M.D.,
R.N. Manchester, and S. Johnston. 1999. A radio pulsar with an
8.5-second period that challenges emission models. Nature
400(Aug. 26):848.
Further Readings:
Cowen, R. 1998. Craft finds new evidence of
magnetars. Science News 154(Sept. 12):164.
______. 1998.
Revving up a neutron star. Science News 154(July 4):11.
Vergano, D. 1997.
Huge pulsars boosted by tiny neutrinos? Science News 151(Jan.
4):11.
Sources:
Alice K. Harding
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Mailstop Code 661
Greenbelt, MD 20771
Richard N.
Manchester
Australia Telescope National Facility
CSIRO, P.O. Box 76
Epping, NSW 2121
Australia
Alex Wolszczan
Pennsylvania State University
Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics
525 Davey Laboratory
University Park, PA 16802
Matthew D. Young
University of Western Australia
Department of Physics
Nedlands, WA 6907
Australia
From Science
News, Vol. 156, No. 9, August 28, 1999, p. 133. Copyright © 1999,
Science Service. |