Hubble image archive

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 cou...

Date
Jan 1, 2018
Mission
Hubble Space Telescope
Archive ID
hubblesite-images-2018-43-4231-image
By

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.

Credits

NASA, ESA, and N. Tr’Ehnl (Pennsylvania State University)

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Source

Image and source material are credited to the official mission archive linked below.

View on NASA.gov

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