"Spider Pulsars: Stellar Destruction Captured by Chandra"
NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory has captured data revealing that spider pulsars, a type of millisecond pulsar, are destroying their companion stars through winds of energetic particles. Astronomers discovered 11 millisecond pulsars emitting X-rays in the globular cluster Omega Centauri, with five of them being spider pulsars. The study found a correlation between X-ray brightness and the mass of the companion star, confirming previous work. The close proximity of the companion stars to the pulsars causes significant damage due to the energetic particles. Chandra's sharp X-ray vision is crucial for studying these pulsars in globular clusters.
