Pulsar Science in Europe

Sounds

PSR B1133+16 has a rotational period of 1.2s, slow by pulsar standards. That means that the neutron star, the size of a large city rotates once every second.

PSR B2021+51 has twice the period of B1133+16, at 0.5291s.

PSR B0355+54 spins once on its axis every 0.156s.

PSR J0737-3039 A and B, the Double Pulsar. In this sample you can hear two pulsars orbiting one another. The background noise is pulsar A, with a period of 0.022s, and the slow pulsing is pulsar B with a period of 2.77s.

Credit: A Hotan

PSR B0531+21, the Crab pulsar. This pulsar rotates at 0.0334s, and so you can only just hear the individual pulses.

PSR B1937+21, with a period of just 0.001557s, it sounds like a high pitched whine. Individual pulses are no longer audible!