HomeAstronomyNew kind of pulsar may explain how mysterious 'black widow' systems evolve

New kind of pulsar may explain how mysterious ‘black widow’ systems evolve

Astronomers have identified a new kind of pulsar that consumes an orbiting companion, filling in a missing link about how some of the strangest systems in the universe evolve.

Astronomers found their first “black widow” system, named PSR B1957+20, in 1988. It consisted of a single pulsar with a small orbiting companion. This was not an unusual setup for pulsars, which are rapidly spinning neutron stars (the collapsed cores of stars that die in supernova explosions) that emit pulses of radiation at regular intervals. Indeed, many pulsars come in pairs. What was unusual about this system, however, was the presence of a significant amount of energetic material surrounding the pair.

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