NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Pulsar planets

Pulsar planets are planets that are found orbiting pulsars. Pulsars are rapidly rotating neutron stars. The first ever planets discovered around another star, were discovered around a millisecond pulsar. Pulsar planets are discovered through pulsar timing measurements, to detect anomalies in the pulsation period. Any bodies orbiting the pulsar will cause regular changes in its pulsation. Since pulsars normally rotate at near-constant speed, any changes can easily be detected with the help of precise timing measurements.

List of Pulsars with Planets

Star	Planet Designation	Planet Name
PSR B1620-26	PSR B1620-26c	(proposed) Methuselah
PSR 1257+12	PSR 1257+12 A PSR 1257+12 B PSR 1257+12 C

pulsar planets (454 words)
	The object in question is a millisecond pulsar known as PSR 1257+12.
	One possibility is that the pulsar planets formed in the normal way (see planetary systems, formation of) before their host star exploded as a supernova.
	Planets could condense from some of this material as it entered an accretion disk in orbit around the pulsar.

Planet Quest: News Article (582 words)
	A pulsar is a dense and compact star that forms from the collapsing core left over from the death of a massive star.
	The new pulsar planet is the fourth to be discovered; all orbit the same pulsar, named PSR B1257+12.
	The gas-giant planets were detected using the radial velocity method, which infers the presence of an unseen companion because of the back-and-forth movement induced in the host star.

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List of Pulsars with Planets

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