Guitar is an extended H_α nebula which has a specific guitar shape. It is produced by a radio pulsar PSR B2224+65 moving with supersonic velocity in the ISM. This is a typical example of the pulsar bowshock nebulae discovered so far only around several pulsars and radio silent neutron stars. We present preliminary results of the optical spectroscopy of Guitar carried out with the 6-m BTA and 3.5-m TNG telescopes during last two years. We obtained the long slit spectroscopy with a low and medium spectral resolution in a wide and narrow spectral ranges, respectively, and Fabry-Perot observations in the H-alpha range. The main goal was to study some aspects of the bowshock physics, specifically, to find direct observational evidences whether the bowshock is radiative or not. It is also desirable to clarify the relation between the bowshock, ISM, and pulsar parameters. Potentially, the spectroscopy allows us also to estimate independently the magnitude and direction of the pulsar velocity and the distance to pulsar.

Page created on October 31, 2008.