---
title: "PSR J0538+2817"
url: "https://spacecatalog.org/object/psr-j0538p2817"
release: "DR1"
licence: "No licence stated; the database is ATNF/CSIRO property under the CSIRO Legal Notice and Disclaimer"
citation: "SpaceCatalog. PSR J0538+2817 [catalogue entry]. Data release DR1 (2026-08-21). https://spacecatalog.org/object/psr-j0538p2817"
---

# PSR J0538+2817

PSR J0538+2817 is a pulsar in the constellation [Taurus](https://spacecatalog.org/constellation/taurus), 4530 ly from Earth.

## At a glance

- **WHAT IT IS:** Pulsar
- **HOW FAR:** 4530 ly — The light arriving now left it that long ago.
- **WHERE TO LOOK:** [Taurus](https://spacecatalog.org/constellation/taurus) — The patch of sky it sits in, as seen from Earth.

## Properties

| Quantity | Value |
| --- | --- |
| CLASS | Pulsar |
| DISTANCE FROM EARTH | 4530 ly +906 / −647 — by pulsar parallax (timing or VLBI) |
| CONSTELLATION | Taurus |
| RIGHT ASCENSION (J2000) | 05h 38m 25.1s |
| DECLINATION (J2000) | +28° 17′ 09.2″ |

## Catalogue data

### WHAT KIND OF THING IT IS

What the object is in itself, rather than how it happens to look from here.

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Surface magnetic field | 7.33×10¹¹ G |
| Spin period | 0.143158 s |
| Spin-down rate | 3.67×10⁻¹⁵ s/s |
| Characteristic age | 618 132 yr |
| Spin-down luminosity | 4.94×10³⁴ erg/s |

### HOW BRIGHT IT IS

What the light adds up to, measured through one filter at a time. A magnitude is a brightness on a backwards scale — the smaller the number, the brighter the object.

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Radio flux at 1400 MHz | 1.9 mJy |

### WHERE IT IS AND HOW IT MOVES

Position, motion across the sky and the size it covers on it. These are measurements of the object as seen from here, so every one of them depends on where here is.

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Proper motion (RA) | −23.57 ±0.1 mas/yr |
| Proper motion (Dec) | 52.87 ±0.1 mas/yr |
| Position epoch | J2002.000 |
| Position known to | 2.4 mas |
| Dispersion measure | 39.57 pc/cm³ |

### OTHER NAMES AND NUMBERS

The identifiers other catalogues file this object under, for anyone joining this data to theirs.

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Associated with | SNR:S147\[acj+96\] |

## Also known as

- ATNF: J0538+2817
- ATNF: PSR J0538+2817

## Source

[ATNF Pulsar Catalogue (Manchester+ 2005)](https://www.atnf.csiro.au/research/pulsar/psrcat) — No licence stated; the database is ATNF/CSIRO property under the CSIRO Legal Notice and Disclaimer

The producer asks: Manchester, R. N., Hobbs, G. B., Teoh, A. & Hobbs, M. 2005, AJ 129, 1993 (2005AJ....129.1993M); https://www.atnf.csiro.au/research/pulsar/psrcat

How this was made: https://spacecatalog.org/methods#source-atnf

## Cite this page

SpaceCatalog. PSR J0538+2817 \[catalogue entry\]. Data release DR1 (2026-08-21). https://spacecatalog.org/object/psr-j0538p2817

```bibtex
@misc{spacecatalog_psr-j0538p2817,
  author       = {{SpaceCatalog}},
  title        = {{PSR J0538+2817}},
  howpublished = {SpaceCatalog, data release DR1 (2026-08-21)},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://spacecatalog.org/object/psr-j0538p2817},
  note         = {Catalogue entry, data release DR1 (2026-08-21). Values from ATNF Pulsar Catalogue (Manchester+ 2005).}
}
```

ATNF Pulsar Catalogue (Manchester+ 2005) — No licence stated; the database is ATNF/CSIRO property under the CSIRO Legal Notice and Disclaimer

Acknowledgement the producer asks for: Manchester, R. N., Hobbs, G. B., Teoh, A. & Hobbs, M. 2005, AJ 129, 1993 (2005AJ....129.1993M); https://www.atnf.csiro.au/research/pulsar/psrcat

The page itself, with its pictures, the sky map and the observing tools: https://spacecatalog.org/object/psr-j0538p2817