A pulsar is a neutron star rotating up to 716 times per second, emitting two beams of radiation from its magnetic poles. When a beam sweeps past Earth we see a pulse — the cosmic lighthouse. v_equator = 2πR_NS/P (R_NS ≈ 12 km). Crab pulsar (33 ms): v = 0.76%c. Rotational energy E_rot = ½Iω² ~ 10⁴² J. Millisecond pulsars recycled by accretion from a companion are the most stable clocks in the universe.
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