Astronomy current events question: high-speed pulsar PSR J0002+6216

Astronomy 210L, spring semester 2019
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Students are assigned to read online articles on current astronomy events, and take a short current events quiz during the first 10 minutes of lab. (This motivates students to show up promptly to lab, as the time cut-off for the quiz is strictly enforced!)

Francis Reddy, "NASA’s Fermi Satellite Clocks 'Cannonball' Pulsar Speeding Through Space" (March 19, 2019)
nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2019/nasa-s-fermi-satellite-clocks-cannonball-pulsar-speeding-through-space

Observations of the motion and timing of pulsar PSR J0002+6216 indicate that it may have been kicked into high speed by:
(A) distorted spacetime.
(B) shedding dark matter.
(C) a supernova explosion.
(D) passing near a black hole.
(E) surfing gravitational waves.

Correct answer: (C)

Student responses
Sections 30679, 30680
(A) : __ students
(B) : __ students
(C) : __ students
(D) : __ students
(E) : __ students