A glitch in pulsar J1718-3718
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 - 13:00
in Physics & Chemistry
Pulsars are noted as being some of the universes best clocks. Their highly magnetized nature gives rise to beams of high energy radiation that sweep out across the universe. If these beams pass Earth, they can rival atomic clocks in their precision. So precise are these timings, that the first extrasolar planet was discovered through the effects it had on this heartbeat. But in September of 2007, pulsar J1718-3719 appears to have had a seizure.