J0008+0128 Hides 2.8-Solar-Mass Neutron Star as 1,218-Day Orbit Defies Models
Updated
Updated · 404 Media · Nov 12
J0008+0128 Hides 2.8-Solar-Mass Neutron Star as 1,218-Day Orbit Defies Models
3 articles · Updated · 404 Media · Nov 12
Summary
Scientists say the unseen object in J0008+0128 is likely a supermassive neutron star up to 2.8 times the Sun’s mass, detected through its gravitational pull on a red giant companion.
That mass would place it in the long-debated 2.5-to-5-solar-mass gap between neutron stars and black holes, making it a rare test case for how dense matter resists collapse.
Its 1,218-day orbit is the bigger puzzle: researchers ran thousands of simulations and could not reproduce a system with similar physical and orbital properties.
The team proposed rare alternatives, including an unusual supernova outcome or a former triple system in which two stars merged to create the massive remnant.
Gaia data helped identify the system, and a new release due next month could tighten the object’s mass and clarify what it means for binary evolution, supernova theory and gravitational-wave sources.