Microscopic Deformation of a Neutron Star Inferred from a Distance of 4500 Light-Years (IMAGE)

Tata Institute of Fundamental Research

Microscopic Deformation of a Neutron Star Inferred from a Distance of 4500 Light-Years

Caption

A microscopic deformation of the neutron star in the binary stellar system PSR J1023+0038 is inferred. Here, the spin-axis of the star is perpendicular to the plane of the figure. The extra height of the neutron star in one direction is only a few micrometres that is of the size of a bacterium, which is estimated from a distance of about 4500 light-years.

Credit

Sudip Bhattacharyya

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