Pulsar

Pulsar, short for pulsating radio star, a celestial radio source emitting brief, extremely regular pulses of electromagnetic radiation. Each pulse lasts a few hundredths of a second, and the period between pulses is of the order of one second or less. The pulse frequency varies from pulsar to pulsar. The first pulsar was discovered in 1967 by Anthony Hewish and S.J. Bell. The fastest pulsar yet observed has a period of 0.033 sec, emitting pulses of the same frequency in the X-ray and visible regions of the spectrum. It is likely that there are some 10,000 pulsars in the Milky Way, though fewer than 100 have as yet been discovered. It is believed that pulsars are the neutron star remnants of supernovas, rapidly spinning and radiating through loss of rotational energy.

See also: Astronomy.