Object Analysis

The Vela Pulsar (PSR B0833-45) is a radio, optical, X-ray, and gamma-emitting pulsar associated with the Vela Supernova Remnant in the constellation of Vela. It rotates 11.195 times per second (period 89.33 milliseconds) and has the third-brightest optical component of all known pulsars.

The pulsar is the collapsed core of a massive star that exploded about 11,000 to 12,300 years ago. It is roughly 20 kilometers in diameter but contains more mass than the Sun. It is located about 959 light-years away.

Vela is famous for "glitching"—sudden increases in its rotation speed. These glitches are thought to be caused by the interaction between the star's superfluid interior and its solid crust. It provides a unique laboratory for studying the density of nuclear matter.