The researchers named the object PSR J0952-0607, and it is the heaviest neutron star on record.
The previous record holder was a neutron star innorthern constellation Giraffe (Camelopardalis) called PSR J0740+6620, which was 2.08 times as massive as the Sun. But if a neutron star becomes too massive, it collapses under its own weight and turns into a black hole. Therefore, scientists want to understand to what peak mass a neutron star can grow.
PSR J0952-0607 is in the constellation Sextant.It lies 20,000 light-years from Earth, far above the plane of the galaxy in the halo of the Milky Way. With each rotation, a neutron star emits a pulse of radio waves to the side, which is why astronomers also classify this object as a pulsar. First reported in 2017, the pulsar rotates every 1.41 milliseconds, which is faster than all other pulsars.
That is why scientists decided to study the object -the rapid spin made them suspect that the pulsar might be extraordinarily heavy. This is explained by the fact that another star rotates in the orbit of the pulsar, which could “unwind” it and increase the mass of the object.
Using the speed of the companion star and itsorbital period of about six and a half hours, the team calculated the pulsar's mass to be twice that of the Sun. This is much heavier than the typical neutron star, which is only 1.4 times as massive as the Sun.
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