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3C 58:
Young Pulsar Reveals Clues to Supernova
Young Pulsar Reveals Clues to Supernova
Chandra's image of 3C58, the remains of a supernova observed on Earth in 1181 AD, shows a rapidly rotating neutron star embedded in a cloud of high-energy particles. The data revealed that the neutron star, or pulsar, is rotating about 15 times a second, and is slowing down at the rate of about 10 microseconds per year.
A comparison of the rate at which the pulsar is slowing down and its age indicate that the 3C58 pulsar, one of the youngest known pulsars, is rotating just about as fast now as when it was formed. This is in contrast to the Crab pulsar, which was formed spinning much more rapidly and has slowed to about half its initial speed. Furthermore, the total X-ray luminosity of the 3C58 pulsar and its surrounding nebula is a thousand times weaker than that of the Crab and its surrounding nebula.
Scientists hope that further study of the similarities and differences in the behavior of these two pulsars, which are approximately the same ages, will shed light on the process by which they are formed, and how they pump energy into space for thousands of years after the explosion.
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Visual Description:
3C58 is a Chandra X-ray Observatory image of a supernova remnant, which is a celestial object formed from the explosion of a massive star. The image features a purple object on a black background, with a bright white spot in the center. This white spot is the central part of the supernova remnant 3C58, which is about 10,000 light-years away from Earth. The structure of this supernova remnant has a diamond-like shape, if the diamond is rotated so that the longest part goes left to right. The shape is created by the force of the explosion that shaped the debris. The bright white spot in the center represents the core of the original star that caused the supernova explosion. Overall, Chandra's image of 3C58, the remains of a supernova observed on Earth in 1181 AD, shows a rapidly rotating neutron star embedded in a cloud of high-energy particles. The data revealed that the neutron star, or pulsar, is rotating about 15 times a second, and is slowing down at the rate of about 10 microseconds per year.
Revised: September 09, 2025