Pulsar wind nebulae research focuses on the relativistic outflows of electron–positron pairs and magnetic fields driven by rapidly rotating, highly magnetized neutron stars, and on the resulting non-thermal nebulae produced as these winds interact with their surroundings. This area integrates high-energy astrophysics, plasma physics, and magnetohydrodynamics to study particle acceleration, shock formation, magnetic field amplification, and radiation processes (synchrotron and inverse Compton) spanning radio to TeV gamma rays. It also investigates PWN evolution within supernova remnants and the interstellar medium, their morphology, and their role as laboratories for cosmic-ray production and magnetized relativistic plasmas.
By analyzing data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, Dutch astronomers have investigated a young, oxygen-rich supernova remnant known as G292.0+1.8. Results of the new study, published June 29 on the arXiv preprint server, ...
For the first time, scientists have used NASA's IXPE (Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer) to directly measure the magnetic fields of PSR J1101−6101, a pulsar located within what is often referred to as the Lighthouse Nebula. ...
Astronomy
Jul 10, 2026
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Astronomers from the George Washington University (GWU) in Washington, DC, and elsewhere have employed NASA's Chandra X-ray spacecraft to observe a pulsar wind nebula inside a supernova remnant known as CTA 1. Results of ...
The Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO) has detected PeV (1015 eV) gamma-ray emission from a pulsar wind nebula powered by PSR J1849-0001 in the constellation Aquila, marking the discovery of a new PeVatron ...
Astronomy
Apr 24, 2026
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Nearly a millennium ago, astronomers witnessed a brilliant new star blazing in the sky—a supernova so bright it was visible in daylight for weeks. Today, its expanding remnant, the Crab Nebula, continues to evolve 6,500 light-years ...
Astronomy
Mar 23, 2026
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Astronomers have employed the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) to investigate a peculiar pulsar wind nebula known as Vela X. Results of the new observations, published March 2 on the arXiv pre-print server, provide ...
For the first time, the Tibet ASγ Experiment has successfully measured magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence on scales below one parsec (approximately 3.3 light-years) within the gamma-ray halo surrounding the Geminga pulsar ...
Astronomy
Mar 4, 2026
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The universe is a strange place. The X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM) orbiting observatory recently highlighted this fact, when it was turned on a pulsar to document its powerful cosmic winds.
Astronomy
Oct 27, 2025
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In 2009, NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory released a captivating image: a pulsar and its surrounding nebula that is shaped like a hand. Since then, astronomers have used Chandra and other telescopes to continue to observe ...
Astronomy
Aug 20, 2025
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An international team of astronomers led by Matus Rybak (Leiden University, Netherlands) has proven, thanks to accidental double zoom, that millimeter radiation is generated close to the core of a supermassive black hole. ...
Astronomy
Aug 20, 2025
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