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pulsar
1. A neutron star that rotates rapidly and emits a beam of radiation.

Earth telescopes pick this up as a regular pulse.

2. Celestial sources that emit pulses of energy at regular intervals, ranging from a few seconds to a few thousandths of a second.

They are thought to be rapidly rotating neutron stars, which flash at radio and other wavelengths as they spin.

Out of the 500 radio pulsars, twenty are millisecond pulsars or those that are flashing 1,000 times a second.

3. A neutron star which produces regular pulses of electromagnetic radiation.

The pulses are very short, and are probably a result of synchrotron emission from a beam produced by the object's magnetic field sweeping around like a lighthouse beam.

This entry is located in the following unit: Astronomy and related astronomical terms (page 21)
pulsar: pulse + quasar
1. A small dense star that emits brief intense bursts of visible radiation, radio waves, and X-rays, and is generally believed to be a rapidly rotating neutron star.
2. A blend of pulse and quasar.
  • Pulse: A brief temporary change in a normally constant quantity, e.g. in a voltage, or a series of intermittent disturbances that are regular in form and frequency of occurrence.
  • Quasar: A compact object in space, usually with a large red shift indicating extreme remoteness, that emits huge amounts of energy, sometimes equal to the energy output of an entire galaxy.
This entry is located in the following unit: Blends of Words: Portmanteaus or Portmanteaux + (page 2)