4U 0142+61

4U 0142+61

Artist's conception of 4U 0142+61
Observation data
Epoch J2000      Equinox J2000
Constellation Cassiopeia
Right ascension 01 46 22.41s
Declination + 61° 45' 03.2"
Apparent magnitude (V) 25.62
Characteristics
B−V color index 0.63
Variable type Suspected
Astrometry
Proper motion (μ) RA: 26.58958 mas/yr
Dec.: +61.75264 mas/yr
Details
Luminosity 0.63 L
Rotation 8.68832905 s
Age ? years
Other designations
PSR J0146+61, 1RXS J014621.5+614509

4U 0142+61 is a magnetar at an approximate distance of 13,000 ly from Earth, located in the constellation Cassiopeia.

In an article published in Nature on April 6, 2006, Deepto Chakrabarty et al. of MIT revealed that a circumstellar disk was discovered around the pulsar. This may prove that pulsar planets are common around neutron stars. The debris disk is likely to be composed of mainly heavier metals. The star had undergone a supernova event approximately 100,000 years ago. The disk orbits about 1 million miles (1.6 million kilometers) away from the pulsar and probably contains about 10 Earth-masses of material

References