NICER Catches Milestone X-ray Burst

A thermonuclear blast on a pulsar called J1808 resulted in the brightest burst of X-rays seen to date by NASA's Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) telescope. The explosion, which occurred on a pulsar known as J1808 on Aug. 20, 2019, released as much energy in 20 seconds as our Sun does in almost 10 days. Watch to see how scientists think this incredible explosion occurred. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Chris Smith (USRA): Lead Producer Francis Reddy (University of Maryland College Park): Lead Science Writer Chris Smith (USRA): Lead Animator Walt Feimer (KBRwyle): Animator