first millisecond pulsar PSR B1937+21

E267991

PSR B1937+21 is the first-discovered millisecond pulsar, a rapidly rotating neutron star that spins hundreds of times per second and serves as a key object in the study of extreme astrophysical environments and precise cosmic timing.

All labels observed (3)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf astrophysical object
millisecond pulsar
neutron star
radio pulsar
age characteristic age of order 10^9 years
belongsToPopulation Galactic disk pulsars
recycled pulsars
catalogDesignation first millisecond pulsar PSR B1937+21 self-link
surface form: PSR B1937+21

first millisecond pulsar PSR B1937+21 self-linksurface differs
surface form: PSR J1939+2134
declination +21°34′59″
discoveredBy Carl Heiles
Donald C. Backer
M. M. Goss
Michael Davis
Shri Kulkarni
discoveryMethod radio observations
discoveryYear 1982
distanceFromEarth approximately 11,700 light-years
approximately 3.6 kiloparsecs
emissionType radio emission
energySource loss of rotational kinetic energy
galacticLatitude −0.29°
galacticLongitude 57.51°
hasCompanion no known binary companion
hasGlitches shows timing irregularities on very small scales
hasPulseProfile main pulse and interpulse
hostGalaxy Milky Way
locatedInConstellation Vulpecula
magneticFieldStrength relatively low for a pulsar
notableFor first-discovered millisecond pulsar
very stable rotation
observedBy Arecibo Observatory
various radio telescopes worldwide
pulsePeriodStability extremely high
rightAscension 19h39m38s
roleInAstrophysics benchmark object for millisecond pulsar studies
prototype of rapidly rotating neutron stars
rotationFrequency about 641 Hz
spinAxisAlignment misaligned with magnetic axis
spinDownRate very small
spinPeriod 1.5578 milliseconds
spinPeriodDerivative positive
timingStability comparable to atomic clocks over some timescales
usedFor precision cosmic timing
pulsar timing experiments
studies of interstellar medium
tests of general relativity

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (3)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Arecibo Observatory discovered first millisecond pulsar PSR B1937+21
first millisecond pulsar PSR B1937+21 catalogDesignation first millisecond pulsar PSR B1937+21 self-link
subject surface form: PSR B1937+21
this entity surface form: PSR B1937+21
first millisecond pulsar PSR B1937+21 catalogDesignation first millisecond pulsar PSR B1937+21 self-linksurface differs
subject surface form: PSR B1937+21
this entity surface form: PSR J1939+2134