PSR 1257+12

PSR 1257+12, pulsar around which the first extrasolar planets were discovered in 1992. PSR 1257+12 itself was discovered in 1991 in the constellation Virgo by astronomers using the radio telescope at Arecibo Observatory. It is about 1,000 light-years from Earth and is a millisecond pulsar, rotating with a period of 6.2 milliseconds. Variations in the arrival times of PSR 1257+12’s radio pulses disclosed the presence of three planets. The planets range in mass from 0.02...