Pulsars and Gravitational Waves
Pulsars, rapidly spinning neutron stars, emit perfectly timed radio pulses, making them "cosmic clocks" that can detect tiny disturbances in spacetime.
Researchers suggest that these tiny changes might allow us to "hear" a new kind of cosmic rhythm, the beats of gravitational waves.
In 2023, global collaborations, including NANOGrav and the European Pulsar Timing Array, announced strong evidence for ultra-low-frequency gravitational waves.
These waves, with periods stretching from months to years, may come from titanic cosmic events.
Astronomers have listened to the cosmos through pulsars for decades, and this new research may reveal the universe's hidden gravitational beats.
Author's summary: Pulsars help detect gravitational waves.