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 characteristics of the supernova's hot gas, combined with the motion of the pulsar, allowed the team to determine the age of the system and its distance more precisely. —Robert Lea, Space.com, 2 Sep. 2025

Instead of the familiar pulsing heartbeat of a typical pulsar, this source emitted a steady radio signal, unusually compact and highly polarized. —New Atlas, 29 Aug. 2025

Regular radio pulses, emitted every 150 milliseconds, indicate a pulsar. —Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 25 Aug. 2025

Christiansen presents and writes on topics ranging from reconciling her love for art and science to her quest to learn more about the pulsar chart on the cover of Joy Division's album Unknown Pleasures. —Jen Christiansen, Scientific American, 25 June 2025

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