Scene: Pulsar
The Local Bubble is a cavity in the interstellar medium roughly 300 light-years across. It contains hot, diffuse gas and is thought to have been carved out by multiple supernovae millions of years ago.
Pulsar
A Cosmic Lighthouse
A pulsar is a highly magnetized rotating neutron star that emits beams of electromagnetic radiation out of its magnetic poles. This radiation can be observed only when a beam of emission is pointing toward Earth, similar to the way a lighthouse can be seen only when the light is pointed in the direction of an observer.
- Distance: ~424 light-years
- Rot. Period: 0.808 s
- Age: 166 Myr
Supernova
Explosive Death of a Star
A supernova is a powerful and luminous stellar explosion. This transient astronomical event occurs during the last evolutionary stages of a massive star or when a white dwarf is triggered into runaway nuclear fusion. The explosion expels much of the star's material.
- Peak Luminosity: 10^9 Suns
- Energy: 10^44 Joules
- Remnant: Neutron Star / Black Hole
Superbubble
Local Bubble
A superbubble is a cavity hundreds of light-years across filled with hot, low-density gas, blown into the interstellar medium by multiple supernovae and stellar winds from massive stars. Our solar system is currently traveling through one known as the Local Bubble.
- Diameter: ~1,000 light-years
- Age: 10-20 Myr
- Cause: Supernovae & winds