Stellar Odd Couple Makes Striking Flares

  • Released Wednesday, June 29, 2011
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Every 3.4 years, pulsar B1259-63 dives twice through the gas disk surrounding the massive blue star it orbits. With each pass, it produces gamma rays. During the most recent event, NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope observed that the pulsar's gamma-ray flare was much more intense the second time it plunged through the disk. Astronomers don't yet know why.

For the B1259 binary animation, go here.

Short narrated video about B1259.

Watch this video on the NASAexplorer YouTube channel.

For complete transcript, click here.

This diagram, which illustrates the view from Earth, shows the binary's anatomy as well as key events in the pulsar's recent close approach. Credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center/Francis Reddy

This diagram, which illustrates the view from Earth, shows the binary's anatomy as well as key events in the pulsar's recent close approach. Credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center/Francis Reddy

This diagram, which illustrates the view from Earth, shows the binary's anatomy as well as key events in the pulsar's recent close approach. No Labels. Credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center/Francis Reddy

This diagram, which illustrates the view from Earth, shows the binary's anatomy as well as key events in the pulsar's recent close approach. No Labels. Credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center/Francis Reddy

For More Information

See http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/GLAST/news/odd-couple.html

Credits

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center. However, each image should be credited as indicated above.

This page was originally published on Wednesday, June 29, 2011.
This page was last updated on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 1:53 PM EDT.

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