Quiet pulsar suddenly reveals three glitches in 15 years of observations

Billy Odell Tucker-Robinson Founder & Host — Banking With Billy Network • Intelligence Network • Data Science • AI Research • World News
Published: 2026-09-06T12:40:24.861Z • Permanent link

A team of astronomers from the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) collaboration has made a groundbreaking discovery, revealing three rotational glitches in the pulsar PSR J1637−4642 over a period of 15 years. The pulsar, a young neutron star located approximately 3,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Carina, has been studied extensively since its discovery in 2016. Led by Dr. Nivaldo Rodriguez, the research team utilized more than 15 years of observations from the Parkes radio telescope to identify the glitches, which are believed to be caused by changes in the star's internal structure.

The glitches were detected using advanced machine learning algorithms that analyzed the pulsar's rotational period, which is the time it takes for the star to complete one rotation on its axis. The researchers found that the pulsar's rotational period had been steadily increasing over the past decade, with a sudden acceleration in the rate of change observed in 2020. This acceleration was followed by a brief period of deceleration, after which the rotational period began to increase once again. The discovery of these glitches provides valuable insights into the internal dynamics of neutron stars and has significant implications for our understanding of these enigmatic objects.

The research was conducted using the Parkes radio telescope, which is operated by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in Australia. The telescope has been used to study a wide range of astronomical objects, including pulsars, supernovae, and galaxy clusters. The data used in this study was collected over a period of 15 years, with the majority of the observations taking place between 2016 and 2019. The research was published in the journal Nature Astronomy, where it was welcomed by the scientific community as a significant contribution to our understanding of neutron stars.

The discovery of these rotational glitches in PSR J1637−4642 has significant implications for the field of astrophysics, particularly in the area of neutron star research. Neutron stars are incredibly dense objects that are formed when a massive star undergoes a supernova explosion. They are characterized by their extremely strong magnetic fields and rapid rotation periods, which can lead to the emission of intense beams of radiation that can be detected by radio telescopes.

The study of neutron stars is crucial for understanding the behavior of matter at the most extreme conditions found in the universe. Neutron stars are also important targets for the development of new technologies, such as gravitational wave detectors and high-energy particle accelerators. The discovery of rotational glitches in PSR J1637−4642 provides valuable insights into the internal dynamics of neutron stars and has significant implications for the development of new technologies. Companies such as IBM and Google are already using machine learning algorithms to analyze large datasets, including those generated by neutron star observations. The discovery of these glitches could lead to the development of new machine learning techniques that could be applied to a wide range of fields, including finance and healthcare.

The research community is also closely monitoring the development of new technologies that could be used to study neutron stars. The Square Kilometre Array (SKA), a next-generation radio telescope currently under construction in South Africa and Australia, will be capable of detecting neutron stars with unprecedented precision. The SKA will be able to detect the faint signals emitted by neutron stars, providing scientists with a wealth of new data to analyze. The discovery of rotational glitches in PSR J1637−4642 is a significant step forward in the development of new technologies that could be used to study neutron stars.