pulsar

noun

pul·​sar ˈpəl-ˌsär 

: a celestial source of pulsating electromagnetic radiation (such as radio waves) characterized by a short relatively constant interval (such as .033 second) between pulses that is held to be a rotating neutron star

Examples of pulsar in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The researchers used data from 3,724 pulsars in the Australia Telescope National Facility database to generate simulated radio-pulse patterns. — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 1 Nov. 2026

The same happens with a newborn neutron star but on a much grander scale; some pulsars have been measured to spin in excess of 700 times per second. — Robert Lea, Space.com, 2 Oct. 2026

The pulsar ties back to early research on the phenomenon, which had scientists wondering if their signals were signs of alien life. — Jared Weiss, New York Times, 31 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

puls(ating) + -ar (in quasar)

Note: The coinage was apparently made by the astronomers Jocelyn Bell Burnell (born 1943 in Northern Ireland) and Antony Hewish (born 1924 in England), who discovered the objects in November, 1967. The Oxford English Dictionary, 3rd edition, cites the following from the Daily Telegraph (March 5, 1968, p. 21): "The name Pulsar (Pulsating Star) is likely to be given to it … Dr. A. Hewish … told me yesterday: '…I am sure that today every radio telescope is looking at the Pulsars.'" The word pulsar was not used in the first formal report of the discovery (A. Hewish, S.J. Bell, et al., "Observation of a Rapidly Pulsating Radio Source," Nature, vol. 217, February 24, 1968, pp. 709-13).

First Known Use

1968, in the meaning defined above