PSR B1257+12 (pulsar planets)
Position on the route: 125/130 · level needed 2900 · journey (Mk0 engine) 443.0 h
By the numbers
| Distance | ≈ 2,300 light-years |
|---|---|
| Planets | Draugr, Poltergeist, Phobetor |
| Pulsar | 6.2 ms spin |
| Found | 1992, Wolszczan and Frail |
The story
In 1992 Aleksander Wolszczan and Dale Frail used Arecibo to find planets around a pulsar named PSR B1257+12: the first confirmed planets outside the Solar System. A pulsar is the fast-spinning neutron-star remnant of a supernova: this one spins about 160 times a second. Whether the planets formed after the supernova or survived it is still debated.
There are three planets: Draugr (≈ 0.02 Earth, about 1.6 Moons: the lightest known planet), Poltergeist (≈ 4.3 Earths) and Phobetor (≈ 3.9 Earths). The pulsar’s radiation makes the surfaces lethal; these worlds are not for life but evidence of how tough planets can be.
Missions
- Arecibo radio telescope (1992): the discovery
- Later radio-timing observations: confirmation of the third planet
Colony note
The pulsar’s beams scorch the surface; only a heavily shielded (Mk3) orbital station. Ascendant territory.
☠ The pulsar’s radiation fries everything: the planets lie under lethal rays. Only a heavily shielded orbital station.
What probes bring back
- In 1992 Wolszczan and Frail used Arecibo to find planets around a pulsar: the first confirmation of any exoplanet.
- Three planets: A (Draugr, ≈ 0.02 Earth, the lightest known), B (Poltergeist, ≈ 4.3 Earths), C (Phobetor, ≈ 3.9 Earths). The pulsar spins 160 times a second.