Pulsar (2008)
Pulsars are like cosmic lighthouses. This image was done to show how a pulsar
actually works. Radiation comes out of the cones. The whole thing spins on its axis,
often several times a second. Then, if the Earth is in the line of sight of the
radiation beam, we see a pulse of radiation every time it flashes across us — just
like a lighthouse. This image was commissioned by scientists at the Max Planck
Institute.
