Dead Star Circled by Light
Spectacular new images from ESO’s VLT have helped identify a new, isolated neutron star, beyond our galaxy.
The stellar corpse is 200 000 light years away...
… and is surrounded by a ring of gas that is the remains of a 2000 year old supernova explosion.
Neutron stars are usually only 10 kilometres in diameter but weigh more than the Sun!
They are thought to be very common in the Universe but are very difficult to find.
This discovery might lead to new ways of finding these exotic stellar remains.
Transcribed by ESO; Translated by —