Rule-Breaking Neutron Star Spins Once Every Six Hours
2025-01-16
Australian scientists have discovered a neutron star, ASKAP J1839-075, with an incredibly slow rotation period of 6.5 hours – thousands of times slower than expected. This challenges our understanding of neutron star evolution, as it's believed pulsars stop emitting radio waves as they slow down. This one, however, continues to emit. The discovery, made using the ASKAP radio telescope, was a lucky find, and future telescopes like SKA-Low are expected to reveal more about these extreme objects.