pulsar

We can watch this loss of energy by very carefully studying the blinking of the pulsars.

In 2003, astronomers at CSIRO’s Parkes radio telescope, Murriyang, in New South Wales discovered a double pulsar system 2,400 light years away that offers a perfect opportunity to study general relativity under extreme conditions.

Combining these painstaking measurements allows us to precisely track the orbits of each pulsar.

While physicists have found plenty of individual pulsars, there’s only one known pair orbiting one another.

For over 16 years, scientists have been observing the pair of pulsars, neutron stars that appear to pulsate.

The first clue is the behavior of a pulsar—a tiny but massive object that rapidly rotates, sending flashes of light toward Earth.