Dear Joseph Lazio:

"Joseph Lazio" wrote in message
...
"NDT\" == N:dlzc D:aol T:com \(dlzc\) N writes:

They have shown that the compact object orbiting the 23-millisecond
pulsar PSR J0737-3039A with a period of just 2.4 hours is not only,
as suspected, another neutron star but is also a detectable pulsar,
PSR J0737-3039B, that is rotating once every 2.8 seconds.

NDT One would wonder about tidal accelerations. If the Moon gets a
NDT "boost" from Earth's tides, does "neutronium" have any give that
NDT would allow similar angular momentum transfer. Anyone know what
NDT the 2.4 hour period is doing secularly?

I don't know if this has been measured yet, although it is expected to
increase with time by the emission of gravitational radiation (much
like what is happening with PSR B1913+16).

I guess I don't understand why it would *increase*. Transfer of angular
momentum from the Earth to the Moon increases the period. *Loss* of
angular momentum to the Universe at large would make the period *shorter*,
no? Did you mean to say the period would decrease, not increase?

Tidal effects shouldn't be that important, though. The two neutron
stars are about 10 km in diameter. They are separated by about 1
million km.

Assuming we have space travel, and are situated about 10AU out from the
mass center of such a system, and about 1AU above its ecliptic, what do you
imagine we could see? Assuming the radiation didn't kill us, of course...
Could we see the sizes of these bodies, would there be visible light?

David A. Smith