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| Description: A Glitch Interrupts the Vela Pulsar’s Spindown Rate An isolated pulsar radiates energy, which causes it to slow down. This “spin down” is not always smooth. As it slows down, it becomes more spherical, and so its spinning, solid surface must readjust its shape. Because the surface is brittle, this readjustment is often sudden, like the cracking of glass, which causes the angular momentum of the pulsar to suddenly jump. Such an event, shown here for the Vela pulsar in 1975, changes the pulsar’s rotation period. Picture Stats: Views: 1148 Filesize: 240.99kB Height: 900 Width: 1225 Source: https://biology-forums.com/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=18631 |