Astronomers have discovered an extraordinary sight in the cosmos: a nebula that resembles a flame-throwing guitar. This discovery was made possible through the joint efforts of NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Hubble Space Telescope. Called Guitar Nebula, it depicts the cosmic art of a collapsed star, ejecting streams of energetic particles in a spectacle that resembles a flame-throwing guitar rocking a concert in space.
A NASA video highlights Chandra’s role in capturing a filament of energetic particles at the top of the guitar-like structure. The caption reads: “Normally only found in heavy metal bands or certain post-apocalyptic films, a ‘flame-throwing guitar’ has now been spotted moving through space, adding: “X-rays from Chandra show a filament of energetic matter and antimatter. particles, about two light-years or 12 trillion miles long, shooting away from the pulsar.”
Watch the video here:
The core of this cosmic guitar is formed by a pulsar, PSR B2224+65. Pulsars are highly magnetized, rotating neutron stars that emit regular pulses of radiation, similar to a lighthouse beacon. The dynamic energy of the pulsar creates the nebula’s striking shape. “The shape of the guitar comes from bubbles blown by particles thrown from the pulsar by a constant wind. Because the pulsar moves from lower right to upper left, most of the bubbles were formed in the past when the pulsar moved through a medium with variations in density.” NASA said in a press release.
The video highlights the motion of the pulsar and its filament toward the top left of the frame, based on Chandra data collected in 2000, 2006, 2012 and 2021. Meanwhile, a separate video was created based on Hubble observations space telescope – spanning 1994, 2001, 2006 and 2021 – captures the motion of the pulsar and nearby smaller objects.
Data analysis shows that the same variations responsible for creating bubbles in the hydrogen nebula – which form the guitar-like outline – also affect the number of particles emitted to the right of the pulsar. This activity leads to small fluctuations in the brightness of the X-ray filament, which resembles a cosmic blowtorch extending from the tip of the guitar.
The formation of the filament sheds light on how electrons and positrons navigate the interstellar medium. It also illustrates how these particles are introduced into the surrounding space.
The findings are documented in a study published in The Astrophysical Journal.