Editor-DN
Astronomers have discovered an unusual sight in the cosmos – a nebula that resembles a flame-throwing guitar. This discovery was made possible by the joint efforts of NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Hubble Space Telescope. Named the Guitar Nebula, it shows the cosmic artistry of a collapsing star, spewing out streams of energetic particles in a spectacle that looks like a flame-throwing guitar at a concert in space.
A NASA video highlights Chandra’s role in capturing a string of energetic particles at the top of the guitar-like structure. “Usually only found in heavy metal bands or some post-apocalyptic movies, a ‘flame-throwing guitar’ has now been spotted roaming space,” the caption reads, adding, “X coming from the moon.” Rays represent a filament of energetic matter and antimatter. The particles, about two light-years or 12 trillion miles long, are blasting away from the pulsar.”
Watch the video here:
At the heart of this cosmic guitar is a pulser, the PSR B2224+65. Pulsars are highly magnetic, spinning neutron stars that emit regular pulses of radiation, much like the light from a lighthouse. The dynamic energy of the pulsar gives rise to the amazing shape of the nebula. “The guitar shape comes from bubbles blown by particles ejected from the pulsar by a stable wind. Since the pulsar is moving from lower right to upper left, most of the bubbles were created in the past when the pulsar density fluctuated. Passed through medium. NASA said in a release.
The video highlights the motion of the pulsar and its filament in the upper left of the frame, based on Chandra data collected in 2000, 2006, 2012 and 2021. , 2001, 2006 and 2021 – captures the motion of pulsars and nearby smaller features.
Analysis of the data reveals that the same variables responsible for the formation of bubbles in the hydrogen nebula – giving the guitar-like shape – also affect the number of particles ejected to the right of the pulsar. This activity causes slight fluctuations in the brightness of the X-ray filament, which resembles a cosmic blowtorch extended from a guitar pick.
The formation of the filament sheds light on how electrons and positrons move through the interstellar medium. It also explains how these particles enter the surrounding space.
These findings are documented in a study published in The Astrophysical Journal.
