Neutron star and a pulsar are stuck in a 'fiercely tight' orbit

Astronomers have observed two collapsed stars spinning rapidly around each other in a doomed dance. A neutron star, the ultra-dense remains of a once vast star, is believed to be in a 'fiercely tight' orbit around a pulsar. It is highly unusual to observe two neutron stars orbiting each other in a binary system in this way, scientists say, and astronomers predict the two giants will collide and merge in 470 million years. Lead researcher Dr Robert Ferdman, from University of East Anglia's School of Physics, said: 'Most theories about this event assumed that neutron stars locked in binary systems are very similar in mass. A neutron star, the ultra-dense remains of a once vast star, is believed to be in a 'fiercely tight' orbit around a pulsar Dr Ferdman said that as one of the stars is 'significantly larger' than the other, its gravitational influence distort the shape of its companion, 'stripping away large amounts of matter just before they actually merge, and potentially disrupting it altogether'.