4U 0142+61
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| Observation Data Epoch B1950.0 |
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|---|---|
| IAU Constellation | Cassiopeia |
| Right Ascension | 0142 |
| Declination | +61 |
| Distance | 13,000 ly (3900 pc) |
| Star | listing of stars |
4U 0142+61 is a magnetar at an approximate distance of 13,000 ly from Earth, located in the constellation Cassiopeia.
In an article published in Nature on April 6, 2006, Deepto Chakrabarty et al. of MIT revealed that a circumstellar disk was discovered around the pulsar. This may prove that pulsar planets are common around neutron stars. The debris disk is likely to be composed of mainly heavier metals. The star went supernova approximately 100,000 years ago.
[edit] References
- Scientists crack mystery of planet formation (April 5, 2006) CNN
- Spitzer Sees New Planet Disk Around Dead Star (April 7, 2006) SpaceDaily
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