Space · Topic 34 of 119
Pulsars
⭐ MasteredA pulsar is a spinning neutron star that sends out beams of radio waves. As the beams sweep past Earth, they appear as regular pulses.
💡 Fun fact
The first pulsar was discovered in 1967 by a graduate student named Jocelyn Bell Burnell.
All about Pulsars
A pulsar is a spinning neutron star that sends out beams of radio waves. As the beams sweep past Earth, they appear as regular pulses.
Pulsars are very precise natural clocks.
As the star spins, the beams sweep across space like the beam of a lighthouse. When a beam passes over Earth, we detect it as a regular pulse of radio waves.
Scientists have used pulsars to test ideas about gravity and to search for planets around other stars.
🎮 Try it yourself!
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Real-life uses of Pulsars
- Timing experiments
- Detecting gravitational waves
- Studying neutron stars
Frequently asked questions about Pulsars
What does a pulsar send out?
Beams of radio waves.
Why does it appear to pulse?
The beams sweep past Earth.