Kobe University Scientists Capture Most Detailed Image of a Pulsar

The Vela Pulsar Image, Achieved Using a Balloon-Borne Stack of Photographic Films, Has a Resolution 40 Times Higher Than Previous Techniques

Scientists at Japan’s Kobe University have captured the most detailed image of a pulsar, a type of neutron star, using a stack of photographic films sent up into the sky on a balloon.
The image of the Vela pulsar, a neutron star located around 1,000 light-years from Earth, has a resolution more than 40 times better than what could be achieved previously.
The researchers were able to determine the direction and number of particles in a ray of gamma radiation from the distant star.
The experimental technique used could open up new ways of studying these far-off and bizarre phenomena, contributing to many areas of astrophysics.
Vela pulsar is so densely packed that if you take out one tablespoon of its matter, it will weigh the same as Mount Everest.