Astronomers have made a fascinating discovery in the vast expanse of space. A neutron star, located thousands of light years away from Earth, has been found to be spinning at an incredible rate of 716 rotations per second. This neutron star is part of a binary star system known as 4U 1820-30, which includes a white dwarf star that orbits the neutron star every 11 minutes.
What makes this discovery even more intriguing is the fact that the neutron star is pulling material from its companion white dwarf, causing powerful bursts of material to be released into space. These bursts are so intense that the neutron star becomes up to 100,000 times brighter than the Sun during these events, emitting an immense amount of energy.
The discovery was made using NASA’s NICER telescope aboard the International Space Station, which studies extreme gravitational events such as black holes and neutron stars. Researchers observed 15 thermonuclear X-ray bursts from the binary star system between 2017 and 2021, leading to the revelation of the neutron star’s incredibly fast spin rate.
Scientists involved in the study are excited about the potential insights that further observations of the neutron star could provide. By studying these unusual pairings of dead stars, researchers hope to gain a better understanding of how cosmic chaos is created in the universe. This discovery opens up new possibilities for exploring the life cycles of binary star systems and the formation of elements in the universe.
The neutron star in the 4U 1820-30 system may be one of the fastest-spinning objects ever observed in the universe, rivaling only another neutron star known as PSR J1748–2446. The team of astronomers is eager to continue studying this fascinating star system to unlock more secrets about the behavior of these extreme cosmic phenomena.
