On This Day In Space: Nov. 28, 1967: Astronomers Discover the 1st Pulsar (Image Credit: Space.com)
On Nov. 28, 1967, astronomers found the first pulsar.
A pulsar is a super-dense star that rotates super fast. As the pulsar spins, it emits two beams of light in opposite directions. When astronomers look at a pulsar, it looks like a star that’s flickering on and off at a steady, constant pace.
The first pulsar was observed by Jocelyn Bell Burnell and Antony Hewish. They were looking at the constellation Vulpecula when they saw a star flickering with regular pulses separated by 1.33 seconds. At first they had no idea what it was, so they jokingly nicknamed the signal Little Green Men 1.
After more pulsars were discovered, they were able to rule out aliens. Pulsars are naturally occurring phenomena, and they can be handy tools for astronomers. For example, some pulsars are extremely accurate clocks.
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