Scientists discovered the brightest neutron star

The object, located in the M82 spiral galaxy, radiates energy equivalent of about 10 million Suns. This is the brightest pulsar in the universe known to science – it is called M82 X-2.

A pulsar is a rapidly spinning neutron star, spewing energy into space around it. These objects emit radiation fluxes in space, ranging from radio waves to ultrahigh gamma rays.

The discovery was made using NASA"s X-ray telescope NuSTAR. And it was done by accident. Originally, the scientists studied super new SN 2014 recently flared up in the M82 galaxy, and then they noticed the bright X-ray pulses coming from the ultra-ray M82 X-2 source. According to the estimates of the astronomers, the pulsar emits bright X-ray emission, equivalent to the energy of 10 million Suns. It is 10 times greater than that of similar objects.

This surprising find is believed to help to understand the nature of ultra-bright X-ray sources better. Previously, scientists believed that actively feeding black holes were mainly responsible for the origin of bright X-rays.

Astronomers are trying to understand how the pulsar can radiate energy like a black hole. Perhaps we have to speak of a binary system. As in the case of black holes, the pulsar"s gravity can pull the matter of a companion star. As a result, it is heated and glows brightly in X-rays. If the pulsar really "consumes" the surrounding material, it does it with such extreme speed, that it just breaks all the theoretical concepts of neutron stars.