– Astronomers have discovered 10 new pulsars (rapidly spinning dead stars also known as neutron stars) located together in the globular cluster Terzan 5 near the center of the Milky Way.
– Pulsars are neutron stars that emit beams of radiation from their magnetic poles as they spin, like a celestial lighthouse. Terzan 5 already had 39 known pulsars, making it one of the most crowded regions in the Milky Way.
– Two of the newly found pulsars are in an extremely rare double neutron star binary system. One star is pulling material from the other like a “cosmic vampire”, spinning it up to over 700 rotations per second, which could set a new record.
– Three other new pulsars are “spider pulsars” that destroy companion stars with plasma webs. These include “redback” and “black widow” pulsars that prey on and waste away companion stars.
– The dense population of Terzan 5 may be causing the pulsars to take on strange, twisted forms like these “monsters”. Studying them can provide insights into pulsar evolution and behavior in globular clusters.
– Astronomers hope to find more pulsars in Terzan 5 with the help of citizen scientists assisting the Einstein@Home pulsar search project.
Source: Space
