Carbon Atmosphere Discovered On Neutron Star

Scientists have found the evidence for a thin cover of carbon on the neutron star in the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant. This discovery, made with NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, resolves a ten-year mystery surrounding this object and provides a vivid demonstration of the extreme nature of neutron stars.

“The compact star at the center of this famous supernova remnant has been an enigma since its discovery,” said Wynn Ho of the University of Southampton and lead author of a paper that appears in …