"X-ray Telescope Discovers Cosmic Black Widows: Spider Pulsars Devouring Stars"
NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory has observed a group of spider pulsars, rapidly spinning neutron stars, devouring their companion stars in the globular cluster Omega Centauri. The data collected could provide insights into how these cosmic "black widows" erode surrounding stars with intense radiation. The researchers found that redback pulsars, which devour larger stars, are brighter in X-rays than black widow pulsars, which consume smaller stars. The findings highlight the link between the mass of the stars being devoured and the radiation emitted. Chandra's sensitive X-ray vision is crucial for studying spider pulsars and other millisecond pulsars in globular clusters.
