Nicole Gugliucci, astronomy professor at Saint Anselm College, explains how pulsars work, and how we discovered them to Cosmically Curious host Patrick McNameeKing.
What is a pulsar?
A pulsar is the collapsed, zombie-like core of a massive star that died in a supernova explosion.
What is it made of?
The core consists almost entirely of neutrons packed so tightly that the density exceeds that of atomic nuclei.
Do pulsars move?
Yes, their magnetic axes are typically misaligned with their rotation axes, causing beams of electromagnetic radiation to sweep out across space like a lighthouse. Earth-based observers can see a pulsed signal when the beams point toward us.
How fast do they spin?
Pulsars spin incredibly fast, up to a 1000th of a second per rotation.
Stars form from a cloud of gas, which has some very tiny internal spin to it, and as these massive stars collapse, they leave behind a remnant that spins faster and faster as it collapses.
Gugliucci says it's like an ice skater who's spinning with their arms out, and when they pull their arms in, the spinning speeds up.
How big is a pulsar?
A pulsar has a diameter of only about 20 kilometers (12 miles) but retains a mass roughly 1.35 times that of the sun.
