Sub-type —
Constellation
Spectral type
Temperature
Bolometric luminosity
Mass
Radius
Metallicity
Age
Absolute mag. (V) Apparent mag. (V)
Status Confirmed means astronomers agree on what the object is. A candidate is a strong suspect that still needs more evidence.
Pulsar type Groups pulsars by how fast they spin and what light they send out. Millisecond pulsars spin hundreds of times a second; some pulse in X-rays or gamma rays instead of radio waves, and rotating radio transients flash only now and then.
Rotation The time for one full spin. The value in brackets is the number of spins per second (Hz).
Spin-down rate How much longer each spin gets with every second that passes. The pulsar slowly brakes as it gives away energy.
Characteristic age An age estimate from how fast the pulsar spins and how quickly it slows down. It is a rough guide, not a measured birth date.
Surface magnetic field The strength of the magnetic field at the surface, estimated from the spin and its slowdown. A fridge magnet is about 100 gauss (G); Earth’s field is about 0.5 G.
Spin-down power The energy the pulsar loses every second as its spin slows. It powers the pulsar’s beams and winds. For comparison, the Sun gives off about 4 × 10³³ erg/s.
Radio luminosity (1400 MHz) How bright the pulsar is in radio waves at 1400 MHz, corrected for distance so that pulsars can be compared fairly.
Dispersion measure How much the gas between us and the pulsar delays its radio pulses. Larger values mean more gas along the way, which usually means a greater distance.
Transverse speed How fast the object moves across the sky relative to the Sun. Motion toward or away from us is not included.
Glitches The number of recorded glitches: sudden small speed-ups in the spin, thought to happen when the star’s inside suddenly drags its crust along.
Associations Objects linked with the pulsar, such as the remains of the supernova that created it, a glowing cloud blown by its wind, a star cluster, or the same source seen in X-rays, gamma rays or visible light.
Orbital period The time the object takes to circle once around its companion.
Eccentricity How stretched the orbit is. 0 is a perfect circle; values closer to 1 mean a longer, thinner oval.
Companion The other object in the orbit, such as an ordinary star, a white dwarf or another neutron star.
Companion mass Worked out from the pulsar’s orbit. The orbit’s tilt is unknown, so the companion has at least the first value; the median is its most likely mass.
Detection How astronomers found the object or worked out what it is.
Apparent size
Modeled extent
Illuminated by
Distance source
Cloud complex
Equivalent radius
Mean density
Peak density
Segmented volume
Source geometry
Average shell radius
Shell distance range
Typical shell thickness
Designations