pulsar

American  

[puhl-sahr] / ˈpʌl sɑr /

noun

1. Astronomy.  one of several hundred known celestial objects, generally believed to be rapidly rotating neutron stars, that emit pulses of radiation, especially radio waves, with a high degree of regularity.

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pulsar British  

/ ˈpʌlˌsɑː /

noun

1. any of a number of very small extremely dense objects first observed in 1967, which rotate very rapidly and emit very regular pulses of polarized radiation, esp radio waves. They are thought to be neutron stars formed following supernova explosions

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pulsar Scientific  

/ pŭl′sär′ /

1. A rapidly spinning neutron star that emits radiation, usually radio waves, in narrow beams focused by the star's powerful magnetic field and streaming outward from its magnetic poles. Because the pulsar's magnetic poles do not align with the poles of its rotational axis, the beams of radiation sweep around like the beacon of a lighthouse and are thus observed on Earth as short, regular pulses, with periods anywhere between 1 millisecond and 4 seconds.

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pulsar Cultural  

1. A rapidly rotating neutron star. The radiation from such a star appears to come in a series of regular pulses (one per revolution), which explains the name.

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Etymology

Origin of pulsar

1965–70; puls(ating st)ar, on the model of quasar

Compare meaning

How does pulsar compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• quasar vs. pulsar

Example Sentences

Using X-ray observations from the XMM-Newton space telescope, DiKerby identified a pulsar wind nebula -- an expanding region filled with energetic electrons and particles receiving energy from a pulsar.

From Science Daily

During this mission, the instrument also collected data from the Crab pulsar and its surrounding wind nebula, one of the brightest and most stable sources of X-rays in the sky.

From Science Daily

Electronic music starts to thump, rubbery pulsars bouncing over a steady beat.

From Los Angeles Times

This discrepancy led many to favor another explanation: ancient, fast-spinning neutron stars known as millisecond pulsars.

From Science Daily

Light emitted from reinvigorated, old neutron stars that spin quickly -- called millisecond pulsars -- could also explain the existing gamma ray map, measurements and signal signature.

From Science Daily