nebula

Eliciting an energetic secret from the Crab Nebula

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The Crab Nebula is the remnant of a supernova in our Galaxy which was observed almost 1000 years ago. Although it corresponds to one of the most studied celestial objects, its extension in very high energy gamma-rays has up to now remained unknown. The international team of scientists of the H.E.S.S. telescopes now finally succeeded … Read more Eliciting an energetic secret from the Crab Nebula

Astrophysicists link brightening of pulsar wind nebula to pulsar spin-down rate transition

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Astrophysicists have discovered that the pulsar wind nebula (PWN) surrounding the famous pulsar B0540-69 brightened gradually after the pulsar experienced a sudden spin-down rate transition (SRT). This discovery, made by a group of astrophysicists led by GE Mingyu and LU Fangjun at the Institute of High Energy Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, provides … Read more Astrophysicists link brightening of pulsar wind nebula to pulsar spin-down rate transition

Smash and Grab: A heavyweight stellar champion for dying stars

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Dying stars that cast off their outer envelopes to form the beautiful yet enigmatic “planetary nebulae” (PNe) have a new heavy-weight champion, the innocuously named PNe “BMP1613-5406”. Massive stars live fast and die young, exploding as powerful supernovae after only a few million years. However, the vast majority of stars, including our own Sun, have … Read more Smash and Grab: A heavyweight stellar champion for dying stars