A 2.3 Solar-mass neutron star in PSR J2215_5135

A 2.3 Solar-mass neutron star in PSR J2215+5135

VIDEO: PSR J2215+5135 Orbital period: 4.14 hours Spin period: 2.61 milliseconds Distance from Earth: about 10.000 light-years The inner face of the companion star, strongly irradiated by the pulsar, is heated up to about 8100 degrees Kelvin. As a consequence, hydrogen absorption lines dominate the visible spectrum of the hot side of the star. The…