The proper motion of the soft X-ray-emitting radio pulsar PSR 0656+14

The VLA has been used to measure the motion of the soft X-ray-emitting radio pulsar PSR 0656+14 relative to background radio sources. From observations at epochs 1989.07 and 1990.38, its proper motion has been determined to be 0.078″ ± 0.012″ at position angle 294°. PSR 0656+14, as noted by Nousek and coworkers, is very close to the geometric center of a 20° diameter ring of soft X-ray emission. The present measurement, which shows that the direction of the pulsar's motion is away from the center of the ring, strengthens the contention that the ring of soft X-ray emission is the 100000 year old supernova remnant of the pulsar's progenitor.