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Monday, October 6, 2008

XMM-Newton is a joint NASA-European Space Agency orbiting observatory, designed to observe high-energy X-rays emitted from exotic astronomical objects such as pulsars, black holes and active galaxies.

XMM-Newton is a joint NASA-European Space Agency orbiting observatory, designed to observe high-energy X-rays emitted from exotic astronomical objects such as pulsars, black holes and active galaxies.

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West Virginia University astrophysicist Maura McLaughlin led a research team that has discovered high-energy X-ray pulsations coming from a mysterious type of collapsed star.

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This graphic illustrates a strange kind of neutron star known as a rotating radio transient (RRAT). WVU astrophysicist Maura McLaughlin was the lead author of a Nature article announcing the discovery of RRATs in 2006. Since the original discovery of 11 RRATs, McLaughlin's team has found an additional 10.

STRANGE COLLAPSED STAR

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