The theoretical model explaining how pulsars emit radiation in narrow beams that sweep across space as the neutron star rotates. We detect pulses only when the beam points toward Earth, like seeing flashes from a rotating lighthouse.
Coined in the late 1960s by combining 'lighthouse' (from Old English 'leoht' meaning light + 'hus' meaning house) with 'model'. The analogy was proposed by Thomas Gold to explain the regular pulses observed from pulsars.
This simple analogy revolutionized our understanding of pulsars - it explained why we see regular flashes from objects millions of light-years away! The model shows how geometry and perspective create the illusion of pulsing from what is actually a steady beam of radiation.
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