2002 SPACE SCIENCE VIDEOTAPES |
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Tape Title | Record ID | Date Produced | TRT: |
Synopsis |
| INNARDS OF NEUTRON STAR REVEALED IN A SERIES OF EXPLOSIONS
| G02-074 | 11/06/02 | 00:05:13 | Amidst the fury of 28 consecutive thermonuclear blasts on the surface of a neutron star, scientists have uncovered the three long-sought properties of these enigmatic objects: the mass, diameter, and state of matter.
With unprecedented detail, the scientists measured the bending of light coming from the surface of the neutron star due to extreme gravity, called its gravitational redshift. The extent of the gravitational redshift depends directly on the mass and size of the neutron star.
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TAPE CONTENTS: |
| ITEM (1): Thermonuclear Burst Animation (two versions)
- The animation shows one thermonuclear burst consuming the entire neutron star.
Neutron star EXO 0748-676 is part of a binary star system, and its neighboring star supplies the fuel for the thermonuclear bursts. During solar outbursts or when the orbit brings the stars closer together, gas from the companion star flows toward the neutron star, attracted by its strong gravity. The flow of gas forms a swirling disk around the neutron star, called an accretion disk.
Thermonuclear bursts arise as gas moving at close to the speed of light crashes onto the neutron star surface. The gas, pinned to the neutron star by gravity, spreads across the surface. As more and more gas rains down, pressure builds and temperature climbs until there is enough energy for nuclear fusion. This ignites a chain reaction that engulfs the entire neutron star within a second. Bursts last for one to two minutes and can occur several times per hour.
Courtesy: NASA
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| ITEM (2): XMM Satellite Animation - The European Space Agency's XMM-Newton X-ray satellite launched on Dec. 10, 1999, from French Guiana on an Ariane-5 rocket. XMM is helping scientists to solve many cosmic mysteries, ranging from enigmatic black holes to the formation of galaxies. The XMM satellite studies cosmic x-rays which are generated in extremely violent processes. These x-rays are signatures of what occurred in the distant past when stars were born or died, and are clues to our future.
Courtesy: ESA
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| ITEM (3): XMM Processing B-Roll
Courtesy: ESA
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Space Science Gallery