New Pulsar Star Discovery
Throughout the universe many natural wonders occur on a moment to moment basis. These natural wonders have occurred for more than 14 billion years and will continue to occur as long as the universe exists. Some of these natural wonders are the super nova or the passing of the moon in front of the Sun to create an eclipse. One such wonder that has brought on quite the curiosity of late is the Pulsar.
Discovery of the Pulsar
Discovered in 1967 by Jocelyn Burnell, Pulsars are neutron stars that appear to pulse because of the rotation of the star ("Neutron Stars and Pulsars – Introduction," 2006). Jocelyn Burnell is an astronomer and an astrophysicist born on July 15, 1943 in Belfast Ireland (CSU, n.d.). Jocelyn Burnell earned her physics degree at the Glasgow University, Scotland in 1965 and was the first person to discover the pulsar, which are stars that release regular bursts of radio waves (CSU, n.d.). Jocelyn Burrell’s discovery was a milestone in the history of astrophysics (CSU, n.d.). In addition, she was involved in the construction and operation of the telescope and was responsible for monitoring and interpreting the recordings of radio transmissions once the telescope had become operational in July 1967 (CSU, n.d.).
Summary of the Article
An international team of astronomers have discovered new information about a star that man has been cognizant of for over a decade. This star, called PSR B0943+10, operates in a different fashion than any other pulsar found to date, and is being called a "Chameleon Star" due to how it changes its appearance. According to Chameleon Star Baffles Astronomers (2013), "The scientists identified a pulsar that is able to dramatically change the way in which it shines. In just a few seconds, the star can quiet its radio waves while at the same time it makes its X-ray emissions much brighter. The research challenges all proposed pulsar emission theories” (para. 2). The x-ray emissions and radio wavelengths have an inversely proportionate relationship, so the more powerful the x-ray, the weaker the radio waves are.
This new pulsar behavior creates more questions regarding the already confusing and little understood star type. The discovery of pulsars that behave in odd ways is not new as more than 2,000 total pulsars have been discovered and there are several that do not fit the standard definition. What is interesting about this particular star is that it does not fit either of the two main explanations for the behavior of pulsars but rather depends if the electric and magnetic fields at play allows charged particles to escape freely from the neutron star's surface ("Chameleon Star Baffles Astronomers," 2013).
Conclusion
Because of great scientists such as Jocelyn Burnell, man’s knowledge of the stars within the galaxy continues to grow. Jocelyn Burnell’s contribution to this knowledge marked the milestone by initially identifying pulsars. Consequently, she motivated other scientists to continue the research of stars, which has ultimately led to the discovery of other stars man would otherwise have no knowledge of. The identification of the “Chameleon Star” is a testament to the number of scientists who continue to learn and prove that there is much more that is yet to be discovered galaxy.