Astronomers tracked one of the fastest rotating objects in the Universe – this is a neutron star.
Researchers from the Technical University of Denmark made this observation using data from the X-ray telescope on the International Space Station.
The neutron star is part of a “binary X-ray star system” and is located in the constellation Sagittarius, toward the center of our galaxy. It rotates on its axis 716 times per second, he reports Noi.md with reference to .
Neutron stars are dense fragments of the cores of dead ancient stars that exploded in supernovae and are usually difficult to detect by direct observation.
Astronomers have been able to determine the rotation speed of a neutron star due to thermonuclear X-ray bursts. These occur when the neutron star pulls enough material from a white star with its strong gravity. Once enough material accumulates, a violent explosion is triggered.
To date, astronomers around the world have observed several thousand such dead stars, and they are the densest objects ever seen by scientists.
