Pulsar
PSR J1858-0128_P
Millisecond pulsar · binary system
A millisecond pulsar spinning 127 times per second: an old neutron star spun up again (“recycled”) by matter transferred from a companion. It shares a 96.972 days orbit with a helium white dwarf. Period, spin-down, distance and orbit come from the ATNF Pulsar Catalogue; the beam geometry is illustrative.
| Type | Pulsar |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Aquila |
| Period | 7.880 ms (127 Hz) |
| Dispersion measure | 38.1 pc/cm³ |
| Distance | 1,213 pc (4.0 thousand ly) |
| Companion | helium white dwarf (estimated), ~0.33 M☉ |
| Orbital period | 96.972 days |
| Discovery | 2025 · fast_gpps |
| Source | ATNF Pulsar Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 18h 58m 11.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | −1° 28′ 00″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 89° N. It stands highest at midnight in July, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out around 1931 BC. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 70 million years.