Pulsar
PSR B1133+16 (J1136+1551)
Radio pulsar
A neutron star spinning once every 1.19 seconds; the beams from its magnetic poles sweep across Earth on every turn. Period, spin-down, distance and orbit come from the ATNF Pulsar Catalogue; the beam geometry is illustrative.
| Type | Pulsar |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Leo |
| Period | 1.188 s |
| Period derivative | 3.7×10⁻¹⁵ s/s |
| Characteristic age | 5.0 million years |
| Magnetic field | 2.1×10¹² G |
| Spin-down luminosity | 8.8×10³¹ erg/s |
| Dispersion measure | 4.8 pc/cm³ |
| Distance | 370 pc (1.2 thousand ly) |
| Discovery | 1968 · misc, ar4, gb4, lotaas, mol2 |
| Source | ATNF Pulsar Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 11h 36m 03.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +15° 51′ 14″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 74° S. North of latitude 74° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in March, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out around the year 819. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 21 million years.