This is one of those things that when astronomers first saw them they went "oh fuck we've found extraterrestrial life".
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A pulsar is a rotating magnetized neutron star whose directed emission is observed as periodic pulses. Rotation supplies the energy of an ordinary radio pulsar.
A pulsar turns stellar rotation into an observable clock: the neutron star's emission can continue while its beam sweeps past the observer only briefly. The pulse spacing measures a repetition period; identifying that period with stellar rotation requires a physical model. The discovery of the first pulsar established a remarkably regular astronomical signal before its engine was understood. Today, pulsar dispersion delay also makes these clocks probes of the intervening interstellar medium.
"Pulsar" can refer to different things depending on the context. Here are a few of the most common meanings: 1. **Astrophysics**: In astronomy, a pulsar is a highly magnetized, rotating neutron star that emits beams of electromagnetic radiation out of its magnetic poles. These beams are usually observed in the radio frequency spectrum but can also include X-rays and gamma rays.