Pulsars: Lighthouses of the universe Imagine a star between four and eight times the mass of our sun exploding into a supernova. Next imagine watching the inner core condense into a sphere due to the enormous gravity of the star like there’s a new star forming in its place. This new star is so dense it smashes electrons and protons together forming neutrons which form a neutron star. This is the recipe for a pulsar. There are several types of neutron stars but this essay will highlight pulsars. When the star explodes it keeps its original angular speed but when the star condenses into a neutron star its rotational speed exponentially increases due to the decrease in size. This newly formed pulsar ejects blasts of radiation along its magnetic
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Given the fact that the Earth is just a minuscule portion of our galaxy and at least one pulsar is able to be detected is astonishing, let alone over 1,000. To date a total of about 1,800 pulsar stars have been identified and astronomers are continuing to search for more.
While the discovery of pulsar stars is are significant in their own way there have been a number of discoveries found from observing pulsars. In 1992 astronomers studying a pulsar made a remarkable discovery. They found and confirmed the first extrasolar planet that happened to be orbiting the pulsar star. Pulsars have also been found in binary systems which helped to confirm Einstein’s theory of general …show more content…
This light can only be seen when it’s pointed toward Earth. 1967 was the first confirmed Pulsar to be observed by the regular intervals of radio transmissions emitting from the star. There have been only 1800 Pulsars found when an estimated several hundred thousand exist in our galaxy which is just one of trillions in the universe. While astronomers have observed they found that they helped to confirm Einstein’s theory of general relativity. In addition, astronomers also discovered the first extrasolar planet orbiting a pulsar. Pulsars come in three varieties Rotation-powered, Accretion-powered, and Magnetars. The fastest ever recorded rotated 716 times a second and the largest pulsar jet was found to be 37 light years long in our own galaxy. Astronomers are using new methods in identifying new Pulsar stars and learning more about the characteristics of how they behave and just how strange they are. There is still a lot that astronomers and scientists don’t know about Pulsars but one thing remains, they are undoubtedly the lighthouses of the
Given the fact that the Earth is just a minuscule portion of our galaxy and at least one pulsar is able to be detected is astonishing, let alone over 1,000. To date a total of about 1,800 pulsar stars have been identified and astronomers are continuing to search for more.
While the discovery of pulsar stars is are significant in their own way there have been a number of discoveries found from observing pulsars. In 1992 astronomers studying a pulsar made a remarkable discovery. They found and confirmed the first extrasolar planet that happened to be orbiting the pulsar star. Pulsars have also been found in binary systems which helped to confirm Einstein’s theory of general …show more content…
This light can only be seen when it’s pointed toward Earth. 1967 was the first confirmed Pulsar to be observed by the regular intervals of radio transmissions emitting from the star. There have been only 1800 Pulsars found when an estimated several hundred thousand exist in our galaxy which is just one of trillions in the universe. While astronomers have observed they found that they helped to confirm Einstein’s theory of general relativity. In addition, astronomers also discovered the first extrasolar planet orbiting a pulsar. Pulsars come in three varieties Rotation-powered, Accretion-powered, and Magnetars. The fastest ever recorded rotated 716 times a second and the largest pulsar jet was found to be 37 light years long in our own galaxy. Astronomers are using new methods in identifying new Pulsar stars and learning more about the characteristics of how they behave and just how strange they are. There is still a lot that astronomers and scientists don’t know about Pulsars but one thing remains, they are undoubtedly the lighthouses of the