{"id":481421,"date":"2026-07-18T06:05:23","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T20:05:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?guid=0ff386473f479e180feb745c644164d5"},"modified":"2026-07-18T06:05:23","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T20:05:23","slug":"nasas-chandra-and-ixpe-study-pulsar-in-lighthouse-nebula","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=481421","title":{"rendered":"NASA\u2019s Chandra and IXPE Study Pulsar in Lighthouse Nebula"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Scientists using NASA\u2019s IXPE (Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer) directly measured the magnetic fields of PSR J1101\u22126101, a pulsar located within what is often referred to as the \u201cLighthouse\u201d Nebula, for the first time.<\/div>\n
X-ray: Chandra: NASA\/CXC\/Stanford Univ.\/J. Dinsmore et al.; IXPE: NASA\/MSFC\/J. Dinsmore et al., Radio: CSIRO\/ATNF\/ATCA; Optical: 2MASS\/UMass\/IPAC-Caltech\/NASA\/NSF; Image processing: NASA\/CXC\/SAO\/L. Frattare<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

This composite image, released on July 9, 2026, shows the region around a pulsar<\/a> \u2013 a neutron star with a strong magnetic field that spins incredibly fast \u2013 within the Lighthouse nebula. The image contains X-ray data from NASA\u2019s Chandra X-ray Observatory<\/a> in purple, X-rays from NASA’s IXPE<\/a> (Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer) in blue, and radio emission captured by the Australia Compact Telescope Array in green.<\/p>\n

Scientists used IXPE \u2013 for the first time ever \u2013 to directly measure the magnetic fields of the pulsar. The results provide new insight into the structure of some of the most extreme objects in the cosmos, as NASA continues to explore the secrets of how the universe works. A paper describing the results<\/a> published July 9 in the Astrophysical Journal.<\/p>\n

Read more about this novel use of IXPE.<\/a><\/p>\n

Image credit: X-ray: Chandra: NASA\/CXC\/Stanford Univ.\/J. Dinsmore et al.; IXPE: NASA\/MSFC\/J. Dinsmore et al., Radio: CSIRO\/ATNF\/ATCA; Optical: 2MASS\/UMass\/IPAC-Caltech\/NASA\/NSF; Image processing: NASA\/CXC\/SAO\/L. Frattare<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This composite image, released on July 9, 2026, shows the region around a pulsar \u2013 a neutron star with a strong magnetic field that spins incredibly fast \u2013 within the Lighthouse nebula. The image contains X-ray data from NASA\u2019s Chandra X-ray Observatory in purple, X-rays from NASA\u2019s IXPE (Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer) in blue, and [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-481421","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t