XTE J1739-285
Encyclopedia
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
| Distance
| 39.000 Ly
XTE J1739-285 is a neutron star
, in the constellation Ophiuchus, situated approximately 39,000 light-years from Earth
. It was first observed on 19 October 1999 by NASA
's
Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer
satellite.
It had previously been claimed that XTE J1739-285 was the fastest-spinning celestial body yet known, with a period of 1,122 Hz
(approximately 67,320 RPM). However, a re-analysis of these data by other astronomers has been unable to reproduce this result.
| Distance
Cosmic distance ladder
The cosmic distance ladder is the succession of methods by which astronomers determine the distances to celestial objects. A real direct distance measurement of an astronomical object is possible only for those objects that are "close enough" to Earth...
| 39.000 Ly
XTE J1739-285 is a neutron star
Neutron star
A neutron star is a type of stellar remnant that can result from the gravitational collapse of a massive star during a Type II, Type Ib or Type Ic supernova event. Such stars are composed almost entirely of neutrons, which are subatomic particles without electrical charge and with a slightly larger...
, in the constellation Ophiuchus, situated approximately 39,000 light-years from Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
. It was first observed on 19 October 1999 by NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
's
Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer
Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer
The Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer is a satellite that observes the time structure of astronomical X-ray sources. The RXTE has three instruments—the Proportional Counter Array, the High-Energy X-ray Timing Experiment , and one instrument called the All Sky Monitor...
satellite.
It had previously been claimed that XTE J1739-285 was the fastest-spinning celestial body yet known, with a period of 1,122 Hz
Hertz
The hertz is the SI unit of frequency defined as the number of cycles per second of a periodic phenomenon. One of its most common uses is the description of the sine wave, particularly those used in radio and audio applications....
(approximately 67,320 RPM). However, a re-analysis of these data by other astronomers has been unable to reproduce this result.