PSR B1257 12

PSR 1257 12 PSR B1257 12 is or a pulsar, which is located at 300 parsecs away from the Earth. It is orbited by at least three planets. The extrasolar planet this neutron star were the first planets discovered outside the solar system.

Data of the pulsar

The pulsar " PSR 1257 12 " was discovered in 1990 by the Polish astronomer Aleksander Wolszczan and then only referred to as " PSR B1257 12 ". The rotation period of the pulsar is 6,219 milliseconds, its mass is given as 1.4 solar masses and it is in about 9,257 · 1018 meters (300 parsecs or 978 light-years ) away from Earth.

Discovery of the planet

The pulses of the star arrived with regular delays, which the scientists Wolszczan Frail and pointed out that he is accompanied by two satellites that cause these variations. All in all, were then four satellites - PSR 1257 12 b,- c,- d and -e - discovers the last of which (PSR 1257 12 e) is regarded as a comet.

The comet, PSR 1257 12 e, has more than 0.2 times the mass of Pluto and a maximum diameter of 1,000 kilometers.

Since neutron stars are the result of a supernova, it was unclear how such an event could of planets in orbit of the pulsar arise. This raises the question of whether they existed there before the supernova ( and if so, how they have survived this? ) Or whether they emerged from the rubble of the starburst, or whether they were "captured" by the pulsar.

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