MPIfR: Discovery of the most accelerated binary pulsar

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MargaritaMc
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MPIfR: Discovery of the most accelerated binary pulsar

Post by MargaritaMc » Wed Sep 20, 2017 8:33 am


http://www.mpifr-bonn.mpg.de/pressreleases/2017/8

Discovery of the most accelerated binary pulsar MPIfR PhD student identifies record system within processed data
September 06, 2017
Fifty years after Jocelyn Bell discovered the first pulsar, students are no longer going through reams of paper from pen chart recorders but instead search through 1,000s of terabytes of data to find these enigmatic pulsating radio stars. The most extreme binary pulsar system so far, with accelerations of up to 70 g has been discovered by researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy (MPIfR) in Bonn. At their closest approach the orbit of the pulsar and its companion neutron star would easily fit inside the radius of the Sun.

"In those rare moments of total quiet with a dark sky, I again feel the awe that struck me as a child. The feeling is utterly overwhelming as my mind races out across the stars. I feel peaceful and serene."
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