The magnetic wakes of pulsar planets
Monday, October 8, 2012 - 07:30
in Astronomy & Space
Pulsars are among the most extreme stars in the universe: dense balls of matter which are heavier than the Sun, yet only a few tens of kilometers in diameter. They rotate rapidly (up to several hundred revolutions per second) and flash like lighthouse beacons—hence the name, which is short for pulsating star. And yet despite these exotic properties, pulsars are like our Sun in one way at least: two have been observed to be home to planetary systems.