Pulsar
PSR B2327-20 (J2330-2005)
Radio pulsar
A neutron star spinning once every 1.64 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 | Aquarius |
| Period | 1.644 s |
| Period derivative | 4.6×10⁻¹⁵ s/s |
| Characteristic age | 5.6 million years |
| Magnetic field | 2.8×10¹² G |
| Spin-down luminosity | 4.1×10³¹ erg/s |
| Dispersion measure | 8.5 pc/cm³ |
| Distance | 864 pc (2.8 thousand ly) |
| Discovery | 1976 · misc, mol2, pks70 |
| Source | ATNF Pulsar Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 23h 30m 26.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | −20° 05′ 30″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 70° N. South of latitude 70° S it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in September, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out around 793 BC. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 50 million years.