RX J0806.4-4123

Hubble Sees an Unusual Neutron Star

This is a Hubble Space Telescope near-infrared-light image of the neutron star RX J0806.4-4123. Hubble detected an unusual excess of infrared radiation that might be evidence for a disk around the stellar remnant. Or it could be from a “wind” of charged particles streaming off the neutron star and slamming into gas in the interstellar medium the neutron star is plowing through.

About the colours

These images are a composite of separate exposures acquired by the WFC3/IR instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope. The color results from assigning the color orange to a monochromatic (grayscale) image.

About the data

The HST observations include those from program 14745 (B. Posselt)