Marta Burgay
Encyclopedia
Dr Marta Burgay is a radio astronomer
whose initial claim to fame was being the discoverer of PSR J0737-3039
, the first double pulsar
(two pulsars orbiting each other), through using the 64-metre Parkes radio telescope in Australia
.
are only some 800,000 km apart, or about twice the distance between the Earth and Moon. The two objects orbit each other at 300 kilometers per second (670,000 miles per hour), completing an orbit every 2.4 hours.
Einstein's relativity
effects can be observed using the unique (as in, the only one yet observed) characteristics of the pair and their geometry with respect to Earth (as Earth is looking almost directly in line with the plane of rotation of the pulsars.)
Radio astronomy
Radio astronomy is a subfield of astronomy that studies celestial objects at radio frequencies. The initial detection of radio waves from an astronomical object was made in the 1930s, when Karl Jansky observed radiation coming from the Milky Way. Subsequent observations have identified a number of...
whose initial claim to fame was being the discoverer of PSR J0737-3039
PSR J0737-3039
|- style="vertical-align: top;"| Distance | 1600 - 2000 Ly PSR J0737-3039 is currently the only known double pulsar, it consists of two neutron stars emitting electromagnetic waves in the radio wavelength in a relativistic binary system. The two Pulsars are known as PSR J0737-3039A and PSR...
, the first double pulsar
Pulsar
A pulsar is a highly magnetized, rotating neutron star that emits a beam of electromagnetic radiation. The radiation can only be observed when the beam of emission is pointing towards the Earth. This is called the lighthouse effect and gives rise to the pulsed nature that gives pulsars their name...
(two pulsars orbiting each other), through using the 64-metre Parkes radio telescope in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
J0737–3039
The pair PSR J0737-3039PSR J0737-3039
|- style="vertical-align: top;"| Distance | 1600 - 2000 Ly PSR J0737-3039 is currently the only known double pulsar, it consists of two neutron stars emitting electromagnetic waves in the radio wavelength in a relativistic binary system. The two Pulsars are known as PSR J0737-3039A and PSR...
are only some 800,000 km apart, or about twice the distance between the Earth and Moon. The two objects orbit each other at 300 kilometers per second (670,000 miles per hour), completing an orbit every 2.4 hours.
Einstein's relativity
Theory of relativity
The theory of relativity, or simply relativity, encompasses two theories of Albert Einstein: special relativity and general relativity. However, the word relativity is sometimes used in reference to Galilean invariance....
effects can be observed using the unique (as in, the only one yet observed) characteristics of the pair and their geometry with respect to Earth (as Earth is looking almost directly in line with the plane of rotation of the pulsars.)