Children are fascinated by the universe, and that's why Profe Solmar illustrated the beautiful interactive children's book My First Space Adventure. One of the most captivating images in the book is that of a pulsar, which you can now have at home in the form of a colorful refrigerator magnet. But what exactly is this mysterious cosmic object that glows in the darkness of space and why is it so important to science?
The Lighthouses of the Universe
A pulsar is an extremely dense neutron star that spins at dizzying speeds. These fascinating objects are born from the compressed remnants left behind by the violent explosion of a supernova. As they spin so fast and possess a very powerful magnetic field, the star expels highly concentrated jets of radiation and energy from its magnetic poles. Since these poles are not always perfectly aligned with its axis of rotation, the beams sweep through space, creating a phenomenon known as the "lighthouse effect." From Earth, our instruments perceive this rotational energy as short, exact, and very regular pulses of light.
The bright center of this nebula is a pulsar that emits immense amounts of energy into the surrounding gas.
The Student of the Stars
The history of these cosmic lighthouses is intimately linked to one of the most inspiring figures in astronomy: the Northern Irish astrophysicist Jocelyn Bell Burnell. In 1967, when she was still a young postgraduate student, Jocelyn was manually reviewing miles of continuous paper with radiotelescope records. It was thanks to her meticulousness that she noticed a slightly "messy" mark on the paper that pulsed with millimeter precision every 1.33 seconds. Although her constant work led to this monumental discovery, the 1974 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to her supervisor, leaving her unfairly without the award.
Art and Science at Home
To honor this historical milestone in astronomy, at byProfeSolmar we not only have the magnet of our friendly pulsar, but you can also pair it with Jocelyn Bell's magnetic bookmarks. It's the perfect combination to teach little ones about the wonders of the cosmos and the brilliant female scientists who helped us understand it. Take home a piece of My First Space Adventure and celebrate human curiosity every time you open your favorite book or your refrigerator door.