PSR B1919+21

Discovery

In 1967, a radio signal was detected using the Interplanetary Scintillation Array of the Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory in Cambridge, UK, by Jocelyn Bell Burnell. The signal had a -second period (not in 1967, but in 1991) and 0.04-second pulsewidth. It originated at celestial coordinates right ascension, +21° declination. It was detected by individual observation of miles of graphical data traces. Due to its almost perfect regularity, it was at first assumed to be spurious noise, but this hypothesis was promptly discarded. The discoverers jokingly named it little green men 1 (LGM-1), considering that it may have originated from an extraterrestrial civilization, but Bell Burnell soon ruled out extraterrestrial life as a source after discovering a similar signal from another part of the sky.

The original signal turned out to be radio emissions from the pulsar CP 1919, and was the first one recognized as such. Bell Burnell noted that other scientists could have discovered pulsars before her, but their observations were either ignored or disregarded. Researchers Thomas Gold and Fred Hoyle identified this astronomical object as a rapidly rotating neutron star immediately upon their announcement.

Before the nature of the signal was determined, the researchers, Bell Burnell and her PhD supervisor Antony Hewish, considered the possibility of extraterrestrial life:

Nobel Prize controversy

When Antony Hewish and Martin Ryle received the Nobel Prize in physics in 1974 for their work in radio astronomy and pulsars, Fred Hoyle, Hewish's fellow astronomer, argued that Jocelyn Bell Burnell should have been a co-recipient of the prize.

In 2018, Bell won the $3-Million Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics for her work.

Cultural references

The English post-punk band Joy Division used an image of CP 1919's radio pulses on the cover of their 1979 debut album, Unknown Pleasures.

German-born British composer Max Richter wrote a piece inspired by the discovery of CP1919 titled Journey (CP1919).

The English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys used a sound based on the pulses in their music video for "Four Out of Five."

References

References

1. (2004). "Long-term timing observations of 374 pulsars". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
2. (2012). "On Pulsar Distance Measurements and Their Uncertainties". The Astrophysical Journal.
3. "This Month in Physics History: February 1968: Discovery of pulsars announced.".
4. Basu, Baidyanath. (2003-02-01). "An Introduction to Astrophysics". Prentice Hall India Pvt., Limited.
5. Burnell, S. Jocelyn Bell. (2004-09-21). "Little Green Men, White Dwarfs or Pulsars?". Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.
6. Judson, Horace Freeland. (2003-10-20). "No Nobel Prize for whining". [[The New York Times]].
7. Billings, Lee. "Pulsar Discoverer Jocelyn Bell Burnell Wins $3-Million Breakthrough Prize".
8. Capriola, Adam. (2011-05-19). "The History of Joy Division's "Unknown Pleasures" Album Art". Adamcap.com.
9. (June 1979). "''Unknown Pleasures''". Joy Division.
10. Christiansen, Jen. (2015-02-18). "Pop Culture Pulsar: Origin Story of Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures Album Cover". [[Scientific American]].
11. (2019-05-16). "Journey (CP1919) Performed by Aurora Orchestra".
12. (13 May 2018). "Arctic Monkeys - Four Out Of Five (Official Video)".
13. (30 November 2018). "The Great Silence by LEMMiNO".
14. (1994). "Timing behavior of 96 radio pulsars". Astrophysical Journal.
15. "The ATNF Pulsar Catalogue".
16. "Pulsar is 1st observed, November 28, 1967". EDN Network.