pulsar

American  

[puhl-sahr] / ˈpʌl sɑr /

noun

pulsars plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• pulsars
  plural

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

Explanation

A pulsar is a small, dense star that emits a beam of electromagnetic radiation in a pulsing pattern as it rotates. Like a lighthouse light, the energy from a pulsar can be observed when it's pointing toward Earth. Astronomers discovered pulsars in the 1960s, and they're still not sure exactly how they emit such huge amounts of radiation. They do know that pulsars spin, and that the "pulses" of energy have regular, precise spaces between them. Some pulsars emit radio waves, while others produce gamma ray or x-ray wavelengths. Pulsar comes from "pulse" or "pulsating star," and is modeled after quasar.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pulsar pulsars

His research showed that plasma around the pulsar bends and spreads electromagnetic waves through diffraction, helping form the pattern.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 28, 2026

Tracking a pulsar in this environment would allow scientists to make highly accurate measurements of space-time around a supermassive black hole.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 17, 2026

Correcting for these tiny, ever-changing delays is essential for keeping pulsar timing as accurate as possible.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 6, 2026

Clouds of electrons between the pulsar and Earth create patterns of brighter and dimmer signal strength across different radio frequencies.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 6, 2026

I was one tiny pulsar in a swirling, luminous galaxy of Iranians, held together by the gravity of thousands of years of culture and heritage.

From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram

Although both pulsars and magnetars measure only about 10 miles across, young magnetars can spin more than 1,000 times every second.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 6, 2026

Still, other explanations are possible, including gamma rays produced by astrophysical sources like pulsars.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 10, 2026

This new model could give scientists a powerful way to study rotating gravitational systems and better understand pulsars, which are typically difficult to visualize directly.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 28, 2026

Initially believed to be interference, the signals turned out to be the first evidence of pulsars, rapidly spinning neutron stars that opened a new field of astrophysics.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 14, 2026

Longterm timing of the radio pulse rate of some pulsars, for instance, one called PSR 0329 + 54, suggests that these objects may have one or more small planetary companions.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan