NASA's Fermi detects first gamma-ray eclipses from 'Spider' Systems

Greenbelt MD (SPX) Jan 27, 2023

Scientists have discovered the first gamma-ray eclipses from a special type of binary star system using data from NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. These so-called spider systems each contain a pulsar - the superdense, rapidly rotating remains of a star that exploded in a supernova - that slowly erodes its companion. An international team of scientists scoured over a decade of Fermi