Knowra Crab Pulsar Crab Pulsar The Crab Pulsar is a rapidly rotating neutron star at the center of the Crab Nebula. Its magnetic fields channel energy into regular pulses of radiation across the electromagnetic spectrum.
Pulsar : A rotating neutron star whose beams of radiation sweep across Earth, producing regularly spaced pulses. The Crab Pulsar is a particularly energetic and well-studied member of this class.
Crab Nebula : A supernova remnant in the constellation Taurus, expanding from an explosion observed in 1054. The Crab Pulsar lies at its center and supplies energy to its expanding debris.
Pulsar timing : The measurement of pulse arrival times to study a pulsar’s rotation, orbit, and surrounding environment. Timing the Crab Pulsar tracks its spin changes and abrupt glitches.
Vela Pulsar : A young, energetic pulsar in the Vela supernova remnant, about 11,000 years old. It is another young remnant pulsar, but older and less rapidly rotating than the Crab Pulsar.
Neutron-star equation of state : A relation describing how matter’s pressure, density, and temperature behave inside a neutron star. Crab glitches and spin evolution constrain models of matter under neutron-star conditions.
Neutron star : An ultra-dense stellar remnant composed mainly of neutrons, formed when a massive star collapses. This compact remnant supplies the rotating body that produces the Crab Pulsar’s signals.
SN 1054 : A supernova observed by astronomers in 1054, whose remnant is the Crab Nebula. The ancient recorded explosion is the Crab Pulsar’s stellar origin.
Pulsar glitch : A sudden increase in a pulsar’s rotation rate, followed by a recovery that can take days or longer. The Crab Pulsar’s glitches test theories of neutron-star interiors and angular-momentum transfer.
PSR B1937+21 : The first discovered millisecond pulsar, spinning about 642 times per second. Its extreme rotation contrasts with the Crab’s slower spin and much younger age.
Pulsar astronomy : The study of pulsars through their periodic electromagnetic signals and related phenomena. The Crab’s detection across multiple wavelengths helped establish this broad observational field.
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