astronomy

PSR B1257+12 A

PSR B1257+12 A is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand PSR B1257+12 A rather than just read about it. In short: PSR B1257+12 b, alternatively designated PSR B1257+12 A, also named Draugr, is an extrasolar planet approximately 2,300 light-years (710 pc) away in the constellation of Virgo. The planet is the innermost object orbiting the pulsar Lich, making it a pulsar planet in the dead stellar system.

Key takeaways

PSR B1257+12 A belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect PSR B1257+12 A to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of PSR B1257+12 A from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

PSR B1257+12 b, alternatively designated PSR B1257+12 A, also named Draugr, is an extrasolar planet approximately 2,300 light-years (710 pc) away in the constellation of Virgo. The planet is the innermost object orbiting the pulsar Lich, making it a pulsar planet in the dead stellar system. It is about twice as massive as the Moon, and is listed as the least massive planet (with the mass accurately determined) known, including among the planets in the Solar System.

Nomenclature

The convention that arose for designating pulsars was that of using the letters PSR (Pulsating Source of Radio) followed by the pulsar's right ascension and degrees of declination. The modern convention prefixes the older numbers with a B meaning the coordinates are for the 1950.0 epoch. All new pulsars have a J indicating 2000.0 coordinates and also have declination including minutes. Pulsars that were discovered before 1993 tend to retain their B names rather than use their J names, but all pulsars have a J name that provides more precise coordinates of its location in the sky. On its discovery, the planet was designated PSR 1257+12 A and later PSR B1257+12 b. It was discovered before the convention that extrasolar planets receive designations consisting of the star's name followed by lower-case Roman letters starting from "b" was established. However, it is listed under the latter convention on astronomical databases such as SIMBAD and the Extrasolar Planets Encyclopedia. Hence the designation PSR B1257+12 b. In July 2014, the International Astronomical Union launched NameExoWorlds, a process for giving proper names to certain exoplanets and their host stars. The process involved public nomination and voting for the new names. In December 2015, the IAU announced the winning name was Draugr for this planet. The winning name was submitted by the Planetarium Südtirol Alto Adige in Karneid, Italy. Draugr are undead creatures in Norse mythology.

See also List of exoplanets discovered before 2000 - PSR B1257+12 b

References

Wolszczan, A. (1994). "Confirmation of Earth Mass Planets Orbiting the Millisecond Pulsar PSR B1257+12" (PDF). Science. 264 (5158): 538–542. Bibcode:1994Sci...264..538W. doi:10.1126/science.264.5158.538. PMID 17732735. S2CID 19621191. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-20.

External links Media related to PSR B1257+12 A at Wikimedia Commons Pulsar Planets

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with PSR B1257+12 A

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what PSR B1257+12 A claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to PSR B1257+12 A before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about PSR B1257+12 A ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of PSR B1257+12 A

In research: PSR B1257+12 A appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses PSR B1257+12 A in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: PSR B1257+12 A is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Exoplanets detected by timing, Exoplanets discovered in 1994, Exoplanets with proper names, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for PSR B1257+12 A outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study PSR B1257+12 A in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what PSR B1257+12 A means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain PSR B1257+12 A out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is PSR B1257+12 A in simple terms?

Why does PSR B1257+12 A matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study PSR B1257+12 A?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on PSR B1257+12 A.