William Atkins
Friday, 17 October 2008 19:16
Science -
Space
Page 2 of 3
When a neutron star is formed it has a very intense magnetic field. This usually makes it spin (rotate) very rapidly.
Thus, it is called a pulsar. It sends out charged particles from its magnetic poles at just under the speed of light. These ejection of particles creates the pulses we see on Earth.
The name “pulsar” came about because of its spinning motion. Every so often—usually once every millisecond to nine seconds—a pulsar shoots a “pulse” of electromagnetic radiation toward Earth.
Most of this radiation is in the form of radio waves, but some have been identified shooting out visible light and x-rays.
In all, astronomers from around the world have identified about 1,800 pulsars.
The regularity of this pulse looks somewhat like a lighthouse that shines visible light in all directions to warn ships they are approaching land. Thus, astronomers call it the lighthouse effect.
The CTA-1 pulsar shoots a beam of gamma-rays toward Earth once every 316.86 milliseconds (where one millisecond is equal to one-thousandth of a second), about three times each second.
And, it is now the only known pulsar to send its beam of radiation only in the gamma-ray part of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Page three continues the story.
