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Artist’s Impression of Disk Around a Neutron Star

Artist's Impression of Disk Around a Neutron Star

This illustration shows a neutron star (RX J0806.4-4123) with a disk of warm dust that produces an infrared signature as detected by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. The disk wasn’t directly photographed, but one way to explain the data is by hypothesizing a disk structure that could be 18 billion miles across. The disk would be made up of material falling back onto the neutron star after the supernova explosion that created the stellar remnant.

  • Release Date
    September 17, 2018
  • Science Release
    Hubble Uncovers Never Before Seen Features Around a Neutron Star
    Read the release
  • Credit
    NASA, ESA, and N. Tr’Ehnl (Pennsylvania State University)

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Artist's Impression of Pulsar Wind from a Neutron Star

Artist's Impression of Pulsar Wind from a Neutron Star

This is an illustration of a pulsar wind nebula produced by the interaction of the outflow particles from the neutron star with gaseous material in the interstellar medium that the neutron star is plowing through. Such an infrared-only pulsar wind nebula is unusual because it...

RX J0806.4-4123

RX J0806.4-4123

Hubble Sees an Unusual Neutron Star This is a Hubble Space Telescope near-infrared-light image of the neutron star RX J0806.4-4123. Hubble detected an unusual excess of infrared radiation that might be evidence for a disk around the stellar remnant. Or it could be from a “wind”...

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Last Updated
Mar 28, 2025
Contact
Media

Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov

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