On May 7th in astronomical history, one of the most significant events occurred in 1992 when astronomers discovered the first exoplanet orbiting a pulsar. This groundbreaking discovery was made by Alexander Wolszczan and Dale Frail using the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico.
The exoplanet, officially named PSR B1257+12 b (also known as Poltergeist), was found orbiting the pulsar PSR B1257+12, located approximately 2,300 light-years away from Earth in the constellation Virgo. This discovery was revolutionary because it marked the first time a planet was confirmed to exist outside our solar system.
What makes this discovery even more fascinating is that pulsars are the remnants of massive stars that have exploded as supernovae. They are incredibly dense, rapidly rotating neutron stars that emit beams of electromagnetic radiation. The fact that planets could form and survive around such an extreme object was mind-boggling to astronomers at the time.
The planet Poltergeist is believed to have a mass about twice that of Earth's moon and orbits its host pulsar every 66 days. It's part of a system that includes two other planets, nicknamed Draugr and Phobetor.
Imagine being on the surface of Poltergeist – if you could somehow survive the intense radiation and gravitational forces. You'd be treated to a light show unlike anything seen on Earth, with the pulsar's beams sweeping across the sky like a cosmic lighthouse. The "days" would be incredibly short, as the pulsar rotates about 161 times per second!
This discovery opened up a whole new field of exoplanet research and sparked the imagination of scientists and the public alike. It showed us that planets could exist in the most unexpected places in the universe and paved the way for the thousands of exoplanet discoveries that followed.
So, on this day in 2025, as we continue to explore the cosmos and uncover new wonders, we can look back at May 7, 1992, as the day that truly launched our journey into the vast realm of worlds beyond our solar system.
