A dead star's magnetic field acts like a giant lens to create radio wave stripes
Deep within the Crab Nebula, a spinning pulsar's extreme magnetic field and intense gravity work together to act as a cosmic lens, transforming radio signals into a distinct pattern of zebra-like stripes.
The Crab Pulsar, a dense remnant of a supernova observed in 1054 AD, possesses a magnetic field a quadrillion times stronger than Earth's. This extreme environment creates a unique optical effect where plasma acts as a defocusing lens while gravity focuses the waves. When these opposing forces interact, they create interference paths that produce high-contrast bright and dark bands known as zebra stripes.
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