Soon after, it faded to a level where it would not be rediscovered until newly invented telescopes spotted it in the 18th century. The neutron star at the center is known as the Crab Pulsar. It is classified as a pulsar because of its flashing nature - it sends bursts of energy out 33 times a second with reliability rivaling that of our most dependable clocks. Aside from being the most observed of all pulsars, the Crab Pulsar is also believed to be the youngest of more than 700 known to astronomers. A view of the Crab Nebula, including a detailed view of the core as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope.
Neutron stars are a unique laboratory for probing various physical phenomena.
Of interest here is the thermal evolution of the stars. The physical activity in the star's superfluid interior, under a crystalline neutron crust, is impossible to recreate in any laboratory on Earth, so scientists have been working up theories based on observations of the Crab Pulsar and other neutron stars. The high resolution camera aboard Chandra will help Weisskopf and other scientists test the theories by giving them a better reading of the temperature on the surface of the Crab Pulsar. Right now we're looking at the glow of activity near the center of the nebula as you might see the glow of city lights from a distance. Examining the pulsar in the center using Chandra will be like using a telescope to focus on a single street light in the middle of the city.