Pulsar
PSR J2222-0137
Radio pulsar · binary system
A neutron star spinning once every 0.033 seconds; the beams from its magnetic poles sweep across Earth on every turn. It shares a 2.446 days orbit with a neutron star. Period, spin-down, distance and orbit come from the ATNF Pulsar Catalogue; the beam geometry is illustrative.
| Type | Pulsar |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Aquarius |
| Period | 32.818 ms (30 Hz) |
| Period derivative | 5.8×10⁻¹⁹ s/s |
| Characteristic age | 896 million years |
| Magnetic field | 4.4×10⁹ G |
| Spin-down luminosity | 6.5×10³² erg/s |
| Dispersion measure | 3.3 pc/cm³ |
| Distance | 269 pc (877.4 ly) |
| Companion | neutron star (estimated), ~1.38 M☉ |
| Orbital period | 2.446 days |
| Eccentricity | 0.000381 |
| Discovery | 2013 · gbt350, gbncc, lotaas |
| Source | ATNF Pulsar Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 22h 22m 06.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | −1° 37′ 16″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 88° N. It stands highest at midnight in August, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out around the year 1149. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 16 million years.