This composite image, released on July 9, 2026, shows the region around a pulsar тАУ a neutron star with a strong magnetic field that spins incredibly fast тАУ within the Lighthouse nebula. The image contains X-ray data from NASAтАЩs Chandra X-ray Observatory in purple, X-rays from NASAтАЩs IXPE (Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer) in blue, and radio emission captured by the Australia Compact Telescope Array in green.
Scientists used IXPE тАУ for the first time ever тАУ to directly measure the magnetic fields of the pulsar. The results provide new insight into the structure of some of the most extreme objects in the cosmos, as NASA continues to explore the secrets of how the universe works. A┬аpaper describing the results┬аpublished July 9 in the Astrophysical Journal.
Read more about this novel use of IXPE.
Image credit: X-ray: Chandra: NASA/CXC/Stanford Univ./J. Dinsmore et al.; IXPE: NASA/MSFC/J. Dinsmore et al., Radio: CSIRO/ATNF/ATCA; Optical: 2MASS/UMass/IPAC-Caltech/NASA/NSF; Image processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/L. Frattare
