Because they are so small, most pulsars cannot be seen with optical telescopes, even very large ones. Fortunately, they have extremely strong magnetic fields. The magnetic field creates a radio hot-spot (marked in red) at each magnetic pole. Because the pulsar spins, we see radio flashes when we look at it with a radio telescope.
Ambulance lights make red flashes in the same way.
This is what we see from the Vela pulsar with the 26m radio telescope at Hartebeesthoek:
Produced by Claire Flanagan, e-mail:
111flan@cosmos.wits.ac.za
Last updated: 29 June 1996