NASA’s Swift X-ray telescope has discovered that an - TopicsExpress



          

NASA’s Swift X-ray telescope has discovered that an ultra-magnetic neutron star known as a magnetar has unexpectedly slowed down. Glitches that caused an increase in speed have been well-documented, but this abrupt reduction in speed (called an anti-glitch) was not anticipated. The data collected from monitoring the anti-glitch is crucial to understanding the physical conditions and internal structure of a neutron star. One week before the glitch, the star emitted a 36-millisecond-long, intense burst of x-ray radiation. Researchers think this may have prompted the slowdown. More info: 1.usa.gov/11rGdq5 Photo credit: NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center
Posted on: Sun, 05 Oct 2014 04:05:20 +0000

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