Source: Xinhua
04-16-2009 16:44
Special Report: Tech MaxBEIJING, April 15 (Xinhuanet)-- It looks like a hand of God reaching out into the cosmos, but NASA says the display is caused by a young and powerful pulsar.
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| A photo of Pulsar B1509 taken by NASA's Chandra X-ray observatory(Photo: NASA) |
Taken by NASA's Chandra X-ray observatory from it's orbiting 360 miles above the Earth, the recently released photo of Pulsar B1509 captures the X-Ray nebula in a state shaped like a human hand.
"The finger-like structures are apparently caused by energizing knots of material in a neighboring gas cloud," NASA said.
NASA estimates the shape spans 150 light years, but it is caused by a dense neutron star that's just 12 miles in diameter.
Astronomers believe B1509 is roughly 1,700 years old and is located 17,000 light years from Earth.
(Agencies)
