Space scientists spot far out cosmic ‘flame-throwing guitar’

By Dean Murray

Space scientists say they have spotted a cosmic “flame-throwing guitar”.

Observations from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and Hubble Space Telescope seemingly display an instrument-shape - along with a dramatic pyrotechnic-like eruption.

NASA editor Lee Mohon said: "Normally found only in heavy metal bands or certain post-apocalyptic films, a “flame-throwing guitar” has now been spotted moving through space."

Astronomers nicknamed the structure connected to the pulsar PSR B2224+65 as the “Guitar Nebula” because of its distinct resemblance to the instrument in glowing hydrogen light.

X-rays from Chandra show a filament of energetic matter and antimatter particles, about two light-years or 12 trillion miles long, blasting away from the pulsar, which is seen as the bright white dot connected to the filament.

A sequence using Chandra data taken in 2000, 2006, 2012 and 2021 shows the filament flying through space.

Lee Mohon adds: "The guitar shape comes from bubbles blown by particles ejected from the pulsar through a steady wind. Because the pulsar is moving from the lower right to the upper left, most of the bubbles were created in the past as the pulsar moved through a medium with variations in density."