An international team of astronomers has detected synchronous X-ray and radio mode switching between radio-bright and a radio-quiet modes in the pulsar PSR B0823+26. The discovery marks the second time that such synchronous mode switching has been observed in a pulsar. The finding is detailed in a paper published August 6 on arXiv.org.
To date, synchronous X-ray and radio mode switching has been identified only in one old and nearly aligned pulsar known as PSR B0943+10. Therefore, astronomers are interested in finding such behavior in other objects in order to improve knowledge about the poorly understood mechanisms behind this activity.
[...] PSR B0823+26, located some 1,000 light years away from the Earth, is one of the brightest radio pulsars in the Northern sky. It has a period about 530 milliseconds, a spin-down age of approximately 4.9 million years and an inferred magnetic field of around 980 billion G.
Source: Astronomers detect synchronous X-ray and radio mode switching of the pulsar PSR B0823+26
(Score: -1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 21 2018, @03:34AM (3 children)
See here:
In particular, see the 417 second mark [youtube.com] or maybe jump ahead to 523 seconds [youtube.com]; there is an electromagnetic model that provides an explanation without invoking the notion of a neutron star or mechanical spinning.
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 21 2018, @04:01AM (2 children)
The OP is completely on topic. This is interesting, and I'm glad the OP posted it.
Please, mods, do the right thing, and mod the OP back up to default visibility.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Tuesday August 21 2018, @01:57PM (1 child)
clickitey clickitey click . . . . googling . . . clickitey click . . .
https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/nz7neg/electric-universe-theory-thunderbolts-project-wallace-thornhill [vice.com]
That sounds like anti vaxers. (even though Digital Equipment did a good job) Or homeopathic medicine (even though it might help someone who needs a drink of water)
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 21 2018, @07:11PM
The Church tried to grind Galileo into the ground, too, when he questioned the prevailing dogma.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by aristarchus on Tuesday August 21 2018, @05:59AM (4 children)
I, too, and glad the actual astronomers are paying attention to the variations of pulsars. It is about time. But the Electric Universe people are far, far outside the realm of actual science. Arp caught flak for the "red shift" thing, but that was almost a reasonable theory. The Electric Universe people are closer to either astrology, or Ptolemy's geocentrism. Be careful when you believe what you want to believe is true, for then you can never trust your own intuitions as they will most certainly betray you. Give me an experimental model, or shut the fuck up.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 21 2018, @09:20AM (2 children)
I love it when a philosopher swears.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 21 2018, @10:07AM
Ssssexy! Yeah.
Just sayin'
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Tuesday August 21 2018, @02:22PM
Look, maybe electric universe people could find a more productive pursuit. Abandon their silly explanations for pulsar variations. It's aliens! Their advanced civilization manipulates pulsars to broadcast signals, navigational information, and infomercials.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by DannyB on Tuesday August 21 2018, @02:07PM
You forgot to mention flat earthers.
The earth is flat. (in a nth dimensional sense. In fact, the entire universe is flat. It is extremely thin in all but 3 of the dimensions.) This flat universe is on the back of an nth dimensional turtle. It is turtles all the way down. An infinite stack of turtles. The very bottom turtle of that infinite stack is propelled by a rocket at 9.8 m/s^2 giving us the illusion of gravity. The rocket's energy is from a perpetual motion machine.
Silly round earthers might ask silly questions like: okay, then please explain why the sun moves south in the winter?
Silly round earther, the sun goes south for the winter for the same reason the birds go south for the winter -- because it's warmer in the south during winter.
The reason we have the moon is because of the tides. The tides cause the moon. If you look into it you will observe a perfect correlation which cannot be a simple coincidence.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by DannyB on Tuesday August 21 2018, @02:32PM
From TFA . . .
Over long enough time scales there might be a pattern which could then invite speculations. Or maybe there is no pattern. I would point out that if you watched any seemingly natural phenomena (the flow of a river, or heck even just the digits of PI) you will find patterns. Then larger patterns. You will no doubt find that the digit 5 recurs in the expansion of PI. In fact, a 5 followed by a 1 will appear sometimes. In fact, sometimes when a 51 appears, it will sometimes be followed by a 3. Similarly, on occasion when you see a 513, it will be followed by a 4. Etc. Or the patterns in a river. Maybe even variations in a pulsar. You will find patterns that repeat at irregular intervals. Larger patterns will repeat less frequently, but you would probably see them if you have long enough time scales to observe.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.