Pulsars/Neutron Stars

Pulsar

Neutron Star

Pulsars are neutron stars that appear to "pulse" in the eyes of radiation detecting equipment.. A neutron star is one of the possible ends to a stars life. They have a large mass compressed into a very small area, making them incredibly dense. Neutron stars are formed after a large star goes supernova, and its core collapses into a dense neutron star. After the star has fully collapsed, the neutron star can remain as a supernova remnant, become an isolated object, or be pulled into becoming a binary system. Neutron stars form intensely strong magnetic poles, and massive amounts of radiation are emitted from these poles. If the star is rotating with the poles pointed at earth, it is called a pulsar. The "pulsing" of the star is due to the star's rotation. However, not all pulsars act in the same way. Cooling neutron stars can act as pulsars by emitting x-rays at the naturally hotter magnetic poles. Some pulsars are created in a binary system, where the neutron star siphons off material from a nearby star, that is then heated until it too emits x-rays. The magnetic spheres of neutron stars are so powerful that they can cause the stars to emit x-rays, again causing a pulsar.

http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/know_l2/pulsars.html

http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/know_l1/pulsars.html