Vela Pulsar
Vela Pulsar is a pulsar in the constellation Vela, about 959 light-years (294 pc) from Earth.
One of the brightest pulsars in the gamma-ray sky and a frequent source of sudden rotation "glitches."
Facts
| Type | Pulsar |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Vela |
| Position (J2000) | 8h 35m 20s, −45° 10′ |
| Distance | 959 light-years (294 pc) (its light set off about 960 years ago) |
| Brightness | magnitude 15.1 (smaller is brighter; the faintest stars the eye sees are about 6) |
| Studied in | 2,478 scientific papers (SIMBAD) |
When and how to see it
Vela Pulsar is highest in the sky at midnight in January. From India (about 20° N) it climbs to about 25° above the horizon; from 50° N it never rises. To see it you need a large telescope or long-exposure photos.
Heights are worked out for India and for 50° N. Set your location in Settings to see them for where you are.
For tonight's best time from your own town, the darkness and the Moon, open it on the map and see its "Tonight from your location" card.
More in Vela
Everything in Vela · All 88 constellations · All sky objects
Data: SIMBAD (CDS, Strasbourg; the site's weekly copy) · Deep Sky Monitor's own notes · Data sources & credits