Lesson Five Topics

Lesson Five Overview
History of the Neutron Star
The Discovery of the Pulsar
Pulsars and Neutron Stars
How Do Neutron Stars Form?
Properties of Neutron Stars
The Magnetic Field of Neutron Stars
Why Do Neutron Stars Pulse?
Millisecond Pulsars
Pulsar in the Crab Supernova Remnant
Why Study Pulsars?


Activities and Quizzes

Lesson Five : Overview

Pulsars

Astronomers first detected pulsars, or pulsating radio stars, in 1967, and eventually declared that these pulsating sources were actually rapidly rotating neutron stars. Neutron stars are small, extremely dense remnants of massive stars that burned up their fuel and exploded in a supernova. They emit beams of radiation from their magnetic poles that radio telescopes can detect and analyze. Over 1,300 pulsars have been discovered and we are continuing to learn more and more about these fascinating astronomical phenomena.

Standards

This lesson highlights some components of the National Science Education Content Grade Levels Objectives