![[optional image description]](http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/mt/assets/science/LatPolar_Vela.jpeg)
The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope orbits the earth every 95 minutes. It travels a varied path -- north and then to the south, on alternate orbits -- in order to survey the sky with its Large Area Telescope. The picture above, courtesy of the Fermi scope, depicts the path of the Vela Pulsar, a neutron star. The plot spans 180 degrees and tracks Vela's position from August 2008 through August 2010.
Below, recent Pictures of the Day:
Image: NASA.
Megan Garber is a staff writer at The Atlantic. She was formerly an assistant editor at the Nieman Journalism Lab, where she wrote about innovations in the media.
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