PSR B1257+12

PSR B1257+12

Artist's impression of PSR B1257+12 system.
Observation data
Epoch J2000.0      Equinox J2000.0
Constellation Virgo
Right ascension  13h 00m 03.1075s
Declination +12° 40′ 55.155″
Astrometry
Proper motion (μ) RA: 46.44±0.08 mas/yr
Dec.: −84.87±0.32 mas/yr
Parallax (π)1.41 ± 0.08 mas
Distance2,300 ± 100 ly
(710 ± 40 pc)

PSR B1257+12, also called as Lich, is a pulsar located roughly 2,300 light-years away, in the constellation of Virgo. It is a millisecond pulsar, a rapidly spinning neutron star. It rotates at a speed of 160.8 times per second.

This pulsar was the first star system ever discovered to have confirmed exoplanets. It was first detected in 1990 by a Polish astronomer Aleksander Wolszczan using the Arecibo Observatory radio telescope.

Planetary system

PSR B1257+12 planets: Draugr, Poltergeist, Phobetor.

Lich is orbited by three confirmed extrasolar planets, which are designated as PSR B1257+12 b, c, and d, that were discovered in 1992 and 1994. In 2015, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) gave these planets an official mythological names alongside the host star:

Because these exoplanets constantly experience deadly radiation coming from the pulsar, scientists believe life, as we know, cannot exist on them.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Yan, Zhen; et al. (2013). "Very long baseline interferometry astrometry of PSR B1257+12, a pulsar with a planetary system". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 433 (1): 162–169. Bibcode:2013MNRAS.433..162Y. doi:10.1093/mnras/stt712.
  2. ↑ "SIMBAD - PSR B1257+12". simbad.cds.unistra.fr. Retrieved 2026-06-28.[permanent dead link]
  3. ↑ "IAU Catalog of Star Names". 4 April 2022. Retrieved 2026-06-28.
  4. ↑ Wolszczan, A.; Frail, D. A. (January 9, 1992). "A planetary system around the millisecond pulsar PSR1257 + 12". Nature. 355 (6356): 145–147. doi:10.1038/355145a0.
  5. ↑ Konacki, M.; Wolszczan, A. (2003). "Masses and Orbital Inclinations of Planets in the PSR B1257+12 System". The Astrophysical Journal. 591 (2): L147–L150. arXiv:astro-ph/0305536. Bibcode:2003ApJ...591L.147K. doi:10.1086/377093. S2CID 18649212.
  6. ↑ Podsiadlowski, P. (1993). "Planet Formation Scenarios Around Pulsars". Astronomical Society of the Pacific Conference Series. 36: 149–165. Bibcode:1993ASPC...36..149P.