= Joseph Hooton Taylor Jr.
{c}
{wiki}
= Joseph H. Taylor Jr.
{c}
{synonym}
= Joseph H. Taylor
{c}
{synonym}
= J. H. Taylor Jr.
{c}
{synonym}
= J. H. Taylor
{c}
{synonym}
= Joseph Taylor
{c}
{synonym}
<Joseph Hooton Taylor Jr.> and <Russell Alan Hulse> discovered a <pulsar> in a <binary star> system. Changes in the timing of the pulses revealed the pulsar's orbital <motion>, making an otherwise unseen compact companion measurable.<Discovery of a Pulsar in a Binary System by Russell Alan Hulse and Joseph Hooton Taylor Jr.>[p. L51, binary interpretation from pulse-period variations]{ref}
Long-term pulse timing then tested <general relativity>. After accounting for other timing effects, the decreasing <orbital period> agreed with the loss of orbital <energy> predicted from <gravitational radiation>. The system supplied an indirect test of <gravitational waves> through their effect on an orbiting source.<Binary Pulsars and Relativistic Gravity by Joseph Hooton Taylor Jr.>[Timing-model discussion and orbital-decay comparison with general relativity]{ref}
\Image[https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:Redirect/file/2008JosephTaylor.jpg?width=250]
{title=Portrait of <Joseph Hooton Taylor Jr.>}
{description=Betsy Devine (Betsythedevine), original photograph; Materialscientist, derivative crop. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/[CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons.}
{source=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2008JosephTaylor.jpg}
{width=250}
Back to article page
