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Rare Slow-Spinning Star Reveals Space Oddity

Imaged Above: The slow-spinning X-ray pulsar SXP 1062 shines brightly from within the shell of gas and dust rushing away from the supernova that formed it. Image Credit: ESA/XMM-Newton/ L.Oskinova/ M.Guerrero; CTIO/R.Gruendl/Y.H.Chu

Astronomers have discovered a strange spinning star that appears to be older than the explosion that gave birth to it, scientists say.

The star is a pulsar, a rotating, super-dense core left behind after a massive star goes supernova. This pulsar, known as SXP 1062, is spinning quite slowly, suggesting an advanced age.

But the pulsar can’t be as old as it looks, because the star probably exploded less than 40,000 years ago, researchers said. They’ve just now begun delving into this newly discovered cosmic mystery.