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This pulsar is leaving a glowing trail as it races through our galaxy. |
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A pulsar is a rapidly spinning neutron star, the superdense remnant of a star destroyed in a supernova. |
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Some pulsars track through space at high speeds. Why? |
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Astronomers think an uneven supernova explosion may give a swift kick to a newborn pulsar. |
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The pulsar – called J0002+6216 – is among the swiftest, moving at nearly 2.5 million mph (4 million kph)… |
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Fast enough to go from Earth to the Moon in 6 minutes. |
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The pulsar shines brightly in gamma rays and was found by NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. |
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Fermi data also allowed direct measurement of the pulsar’s speed through space. |
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The pulsar's trail, mapped by the Very Large Array radio telescope, points back to the heart of the 10,000-year-old supernova remnant, CTB 1. |
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Further study of this object will shed more light on how supernovae are able to 'kick' neutron stars to such high speed. |
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Faster than 99 percent of all pulsars with measured speeds, this one will eventually escape our galaxy. |
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NASA Astrophysics |
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