1E161348-5055

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1E 161348-5055
Observation Data
Epoch J2000
IAU Constellation Norma
Right Ascension 161348
Declination 5055
Distance 10000 ly (3000 pc)
Star listing of stars

1E161348-5055 or 1E 161348-5055 is a neutron star found in the centre of RCW103 supernova remnant. It is a periodic X-Ray source with a period of 6.67 hours. It is approximately 2000 years old. It is 10,000 light years away in the constellation Norma (constellation).

The star was discovered by the Einstein Observatory.

This star is unusual because of its period. It's period is too long for a star of 2000, instead being more like a multi-million year old star. In order to slow that much, a magnetar would have to have an implausibly strong field, or would have to brake against a debris disc, which has thus far been unknown to science. An alternate explanation is that this periodicity is actually an orbital period for a low-mass X-ray binary. If this is the case, it is the youngest such system yet observed.

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