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Astronomy & Space vocabulary · Stars & Stellar Evolution

Pulsar

Meaning in astronomy & space, with examples

/ˈpʌlsɑːr/nounAdvanced term

In astronomy & space, pulsar means: A rapidly spinning neutron star that sends out beams of radio waves or other radiation, which we see from Earth as very regular pulses, like the beam of a lighthouse.

In Turkish: pulsar, atarca

How it is used

Used in radio astronomy and astrophysics. The first pulsar was discovered in 1967 by Jocelyn Bell Burnell. Because their pulses are so regular, pulsars are used as natural clocks, for example in the search for gravitational waves.

Example sentences

  1. The pulsar in the Crab Nebula spins about 30 times per second.

  2. At first, the regular signal from the pulsar was jokingly labelled 'LGM-1', for 'little green men'.

Common collocations

  • millisecond pulsar
  • radio pulsar
  • pulsar timing
  • discover a pulsar
  • neutron starThe extremely dense core left after a massive star explodes as a supernova. It packs more mass than the Sun into a ball only about 20 kilometres across.
  • radio telescopeA telescope that collects radio waves from space with a large dish or a set of antennas instead of visible light. It can observe through clouds and during the day.
  • supernovaA huge stellar explosion that can briefly shine as brightly as a whole galaxy. It happens when a massive star collapses or when a white dwarf gains too much mass.
  • gravitational waveA ripple in space-time caused by massive objects accelerating, such as two black holes spiralling into each other. Einstein predicted them in 1916.

More terms: Stars & Stellar Evolution

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