A rapidly rotating neutron star that emits beams of electromagnetic radiation from its magnetic poles, appearing to pulse as it spins. These cosmic lighthouses can rotate hundreds of times per second with incredible precision.
Coined in 1968 from 'pulsating star,' shortly after the discovery of these objects by Jocelyn Bell Burnell. The name reflects their regular, pulse-like radio emissions that initially puzzled astronomers.
Pulsars are so precise that the most stable ones keep better time than atomic clocks - they're essentially cosmic metronomes made of matter so dense that a teaspoon would weigh as much as Mount Everest! Some pulsars spin 700 times per second, faster than a kitchen blender.
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