©A. Fruchter (STScI)
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This optical image shows a glowing arc of hydrogen gas (known as a
bow-shock nebula) being lit up by a speeding pulsar (itself unseen).
The pulsar in question is PSR J0437-4715 and it is the nearest milli-second
pulsar to the Earth. The arrow points in the direction of the pulsar
proper motion (derived through timing experiments). The faint star
directly behind the shock is the white dwarf companion of the pulsar (the
pulsar itself is invisible in optical light). The
distance between the pulsar and the bow shock is approximately 1400 AU, and,
on this scale, the position of the pulsar would be
indistinguishable from that of its white dwarf companion.
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