Overview

• Located 26,000 light-years away in the constellation Sagittarius, the neutron star is part of a binary system with a white dwarf.
• The star's rapid spin rate was confirmed by NASA's NICER X-ray telescope aboard the International Space Station.
• The neutron star's surface experiences explosive thermonuclear blasts, making it up to 100,000 times brighter than the sun.
• These findings affirm the theoretical upper limit for neutron star spin speeds, previously thought to be around 730 rotations per second.
• Researchers detected 15 thermonuclear bursts between 2017 and 2021, with one revealing the star's remarkable spin rate.