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Description

Movie
Movie (9.5 MB)

AUDIO:
None.

VIDEO:

This video starts with an animation of a binary star system. One of the stars is much more massive than the other. The more massive star explodes, producing a neutron star. In the animation, the larger star appears to disappear after the explosion. It then returns as a neutron star. As the neutron star and its companion continue to orbit, the neutron star accretes matter from the companion and spins faster. Eventually, all of the matter from the companion star becomes part of the accretion disk of the neutron star. The neutron star then becomes a pulsar.

 

A service of the High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center (HEASARC), Dr. Andy Ptak (Director), within the Astrophysics Science Division (ASD) at NASA/GSFC

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