SMRTR Science & EngineeringSep 7, 2026NotebookCheck

After years of silence, a pulsar suddenly changes its spin three times

SMRTR summary

A young pulsar called PSR J1637−4642, only 41,000 years old, stayed unusually quiet for about a decade after its discovery. But after analyzing 15.5 years of telescope data, astronomers found it suddenly sped up its rotation three times, in 2018, 2021, and 2024. These "glitches" support the theory that energy transfers inside neutron stars cause sudden spin increases, proving even quiet pulsars can be surprisingly active.

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