How pulsars slow down with age
Monday, October 8, 2012 - 09:00
in Astronomy & Space
Researchers have developed a model which explains how the spin of a pulsar slows down as the star gets older. A pulsar is a highly magnetized rotating neutron star which was formed from the remains of a supernova - an explosion which happens after a massive star runs out of nuclear fuel. A pulsar emits a rotating beam of electromagnetic radiation, rather like that of a lighthouse. This beam can be detected by powerful telescopes when it points towards and sweeps past the Earth.