A pulsar (from puls(ating st)ar, on the model of quasar) is a highly magnetized rotating neutron star that emits … See more

Signals from the first discovered pulsar were initially observed by Jocelyn Bell while analyzing data recorded on August 6, 1967, from a newly commissioned radio telescope that she helped build. Initially dismissed as radio interf… See more

White dwarfs can also act as pulsars. Because the moment of inertia of a white dwarf is much higher than that of a neutron star, the white-dwarf pulsars rotate once every several minutes, far slower than neutron-sta… See more

Initially pulsars were named with letters of the discovering observatory followed by their right ascension (e.g. CP 1919). As more pulsars were discovered, the letter code became unwieldy, and so the convention then arose … See more

The events leading to the formation of a pulsar begin when the core of a massive star is compressed during a supernova, which collapses into a neutron star. The neutron star retains most of its angular momentum, … See more