Pulsars in Science and Sci-Fi

Spacedock delves into the science of Pulsars and their appearances in science fiction.
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Spacedock does not hold ownership of the copyrighted materiel (Footage, Stills etc) taken from the various works of fiction covered in this series, and uses them within the boundaries of Fair Use for the purpose of Analysis, Discussion and Review. Produced by Daniel Orrett. Owner/Executive Producer at Spacedock.

[@Spacedock]

Check out The Sojourn, our original sci-fi audio drama! www.thesojournaudiodrama.com/

[@jim405]

Rocky Pulsars in the two part season two finale of Sliders 😂 That’s actually when the show died along with John Rhys-Davies. It limped along pathetically to season three till it was canceled by Fox. We don’t talk about the Sci-Fi Channel seasons… “Just call me typhoid Reemy.” 🤦

[@CommanderHuggins]

Pulsars are one of those things that really put into perspective just how immense and powerful astronomical phenomena can be. In sci fi we typically see pulsars that pulse once every few seconds. But in real life astronomers have also observed quite a few that pulse every few milliseconds. Just think about that. A neutron star, an object so dense that a teaspoon of material scooped from its surface would be equal in mass to Mount Everest, spinning so fast that you wouldn’t even be able to distinguish the individual flashes.

[@DMSProduktions]

They may NOT be actually spinning at that speed, but the magentic field that's doing so!

[@lloydevans2900]

@@DMSProduktions Actually, it is more than likely that pulsars really do physically spin at insanely fast rates, as a result of conservation of angular momentum. Pulsars are either neutron stars or white dwarf stars, the latter composed of electron-degenerate matter. Either way, they retain a significant proportion of the mass of the star they originally formed from, but are many orders of magnitude more dense and hence have a comparatively small size. All stars rotate as a result of how they are formed from collapsing gas and dust clouds, which is another example of conservation of angular momentum. Anyway, the retention of mass combined with the large reduction in physical size means that the rate of rotation must increase. There is some variability among pulsars of course, as a result of the variety of different masses and sizes of stars they were formed from. But the spin rate of a pulsar will always be hugely accelerated compared to the star it used to be.

[@DMSProduktions]

@@lloydevans2900 I like degenerates!

[@MrMarinus18]

Though Pulsar's are also one of the most misrepresented things because of how incredibly varied the scales in the universe are. While the magnetic pulses are incredibly powerful and they have the mass of a above average star their dimensions are miniscule. Like if you had a rock of the same dimensions it would just be a small asteroid and wouldn't even qualify as a moon.

[@psoma_brufd]

There's a brilliant case of one in Stargate Universe where it is essentially the main antagonist. It pulsates much faster than normal but was theoretically possible, then a few years later they found a pulsar with the same order of magnitude rate.

[@The_Sci-Fi_Slut]

Did you not watch the video, they mentioned that

[@psoma_brufd]

@@The_Sci-Fi_Slut I wrote it before watching as you can tell by the timestamp, besides, I provided more, useful detail. Don't be rude about it.

[@StormsparkPegasus]

It's actually quite a bit more interesting than that...they found a real white dwarf/pulsar binary system that essentially does the same thing as in the episode (the time period between occurrences wasn't identical but it was similar).

[@TonyP9279]

I'm still waiting for them to arrive in the next galaxy. I hope Eli was able to get his stasis pod working!

[@Aermydach]

Ahh, SGU. More like Home and Away, in Space (an Australian weeknightly soap opera).

[@kfcroc18]

The biggest problem with showing a scientifically accurate pulsar is the strobing, which is not good for some people to see.

[@Mobscene_CDN]

Wouldn't anyone actually seeing the strobing(from a relatively close distance) be killed? I thought these things gave off massive radiation. So basically if you see it you're dead, lol.

[@doom87er]

@@Mobscene_CDN it depends, on how far away and how well shielded you are from radiation, also whether or not you cross a beam

[@kfcroc18]

@@Mobscene_CDN What about games like Stellars?

[@sc149]

Surely it should just be standard practice to have your pov ship park outside the beam swing unless entering it is an episode center point.

[@DMSProduktions]

Epileptics KNOW better!

[@danielmyers-cowan3416]

Would love if you guys made a series where you cover unique weapon systems from science fiction like phasers, tachyon emitters, U.V rays antimatter charges and more. Exploring the principles behind the weapon systems, speculating on payload and comparing with other franchises. I think you guys could pull that off reallly nicely

[@RorikH]

The principle behind Tachyon Emitters -> Tachyon is a cool word.

[@kbahrt]

Ever been to project Rho?

[@DigitalJedi]

U.V. rays, also know as the cancer ray.

[@brucesshipyards744]

This

[@JRexRegis]

@@RorikH Tachyons are a fringe theory for an FTL particle - like a photon that's being carried by the warp bubble of an alcubierre drive. Any particle moving at superluminal speeds is by definition a Tachyon - it's an attributive term, like Baryon and Hadron, not an essential one like Photon or Electron (iirc). Therefore, a tachyon emitter is either some kind of miniaturized, warp-capable bullet with the ability to sheathe itself in tachyonic photons as it travels - it would build up photons on the edge of its warp bubble, only to release them a small distance away from the target as its warp drive burns out and the photons are released in an emormous, blazing "wave" of light that burns your enemy to cinders.

[@TheZetaKai]

I really enjoyed hearing about the astronomical phenomena in popular science fiction works. This was a nice unexpected addition to your usual excellent spaceship content. You might want to do more on other features of outer space, such as nebulae, protoplanetary disks, black holes, and even the emptiness of the void itself. The vast distances between objects in the cosmos, and the challenges of overcoming those distances within human lifetimes, will never not be fascinating to me.

[@awesomehpt8938]

Neutron stars and pulsars are what also creates element zero in mass effect due to how they affect matter around them.

[@xo-1320]

Actually it's Supernovas that due. It's just that any planets formed around the stellar remnant is likely to have far more.

[@duaneclarence8758]

'Tis a good day when Spacedock uploads!!!

[@thefob9675]

I like this format, where you summarize the occurance of real life astrophysical phenomena in science fiction. Looking forward to see more of these.

[@emperormajorian112]

You ever get recommended one of those videos that just hits that niche you didn’t know needed filling? This is one of those videos

[@Janoha17]

Star Trek Online has Havas-Kul, the homeworld of the Hur'q, orbiting a pulsar on an elliptical orbit that takes it out of the star's habitable zone, and is the reason for the Hur'q's millennia-long hibernations. The radiation put out by the pulsar also affected how the Hur'q and their technology developed, using magnetic field manipulation as their primary means of interfacing with their technology.

[@Arthur_Revan]

Glad to see Starsector! Not many people know about this great game.

[@hoojiwana]

I've been slightly obsessed with it after I went to get that footage - hoojiwana from Spacedock

[@lewisvargrson]

​@@hoojiwana It is one of those games. So much damn replay value. Want to be a smuggler, merchant, mercenary, faction officer, pirate, explorer, colonial governor, and/or faction leader? It has it all. Then... you discover something... The modding community!!! Yeah, I'm going to go reinstall that now. Thanks, lol

[@GunRunner106]

seeing starsector being mentioned anywhere is always nice...

[@cmedtheuniverseofcmed8775]

Slow spinning pulsars are probably the most interesting. When their cosmic radiation are converted into sound that we can hear, they sound like slow moving trains or heartbeats.

[@simonhede4381]

so awesome to see Starsector! awesome game with an awesome setting and vibe, would love to see it mentioned in future videos when applicable!

[@Eclispestar]

Show the love for a fun game. Still in development but very enjoyable. Nice little mod seen. Mods very easy to.install.

[@Lukos0036]

Pulsars and Magnetars are terrifying. You don't even need to be that close to them to be affected, and in the case of the latter it can physically rip you apart.

[@Novarcharesk]

I seem to recall that you'd need to be within 1000 km of a magnetar for the magnetic field to dismantle one's physically structure. We'd be dead long before it had a chance to accomplish this, and would likely be vaporised by the radiation.

[@Lukos0036]

@@Novarcharesk Yes, which is what I was getting at, just trying to not blast the comment section with a wall of text.

[@sfs2040]

"Shameless self promotion" Lol well I'll promote it shamelessly too! Get The Sojourn!

[@appo9357]

That was one of my favorite episodes of Sliders.

[@mitwhitgaming7722]

I am convinced that was one of the sources of inspirations for Rick and Morty that no one talks about.

[@Vevvev8]

I remember taking the neutron star highway in Elite:Dangerous to get to Colonia. The footage you shown was just a tame one... The millisecond pulsars in that game spin so fast they cause almost an immediate fear reaction upon seeing them. They're so violent and terrifying, especially since you have to fly into the beam to get that jump boost...

[@LanceVanceDance84]

o7, my fellow CMDR.

[@Blade40688]

Hey a Starsector mention! Happy to see it. Kinda hope we see some Ship breakdowns from said game

[@Salveta96]

Woop, finally a Starsector mention Its one of my favorites

[@mitwhitgaming7722]

Speaking of neutron stars, I had the idea of an alien race using artificially created nurtonium, the densest stuff in the universe, as ammunition for thier short range weapons. Is it realistic, probably not, but I don't care.

[@ledocteur7701]

in my sci-fi universe the main super-advanced civilisation use them as gigantic power plants by exploiting their magnetic fields.

[@Jaydee-wd7wr]

Doesn’t Stellaris kinda do that?

[@mitwhitgaming7722]

@@ledocteur7701 Ooo, that's good

[@mitwhitgaming7722]

@@Jaydee-wd7wr Haven't played much Stellaris.

[@the_once-and-future_king.]

Except the sheer mass would require ridiculous energy to move the vessel, let alone actually fire the munitions.

[@thatsounditmakes9177]

Black holes get all the glory, but pulsars and magnetars are where it's at for me.

[@CompositesNG]

That Sliders episode was my first introduction to Pulsars when I was a kid. Scared me when I was younger. But I fell in love with science and the rest was history. Great review.

[@autumngottlieb3071]

"Hey." "Hey."

[@hshackleton678]

Episode 4 is the best episode so far don't @ me

[@voodoo_1_viper]

I like quasar stars

[@Exsam]

Love the Starsector mention!

[@nocelebrity6042]

Author Jack McDevitt includes a binary pulsar pair named "The Spinners" in his Alex Benedict series of novels, beginning with "A Talent for War." The eponymous main character and his interstellar pilot Chase Kolpath encounter the Spinners after sabotage to their ship's onboard A.I. resets their destination, setting them on a colission course. Due to quick thinking on Chase's part, they survive long enough to be rescued.

[@nathanphilbrick-cruse406]

Holy shit they mentioned Freelancer! I've finally been able to play it recently after nearly a decade, but it feels like I'm one of the only people who knows it exists sometimes. Thank you! Take my like!

[@mosesracal6758]

The shoutout to starsector's pulsars was a surprise one, still one of the best interpretations of a pulsar in a game for me

[@Phil-D83]

The expanse novels use a gate orbiting a pulsar as a plot point. The pulsar collapses into a blackhole by those evil old God aliens, and the beams damage the slowzone

[@stretchmtsa5106]

Wow, I'm impressed, I thought Freelancer's Omega-41 system was going to be overlooked. Man what a great game from so long ago.

[@jellygoo]

I loved that game. I played it through and through, pretty sure i explored every corner and even played the multiplayer mod. However I have no recollection of the pulsar? :(

[@phycosam2869]

Completely misread the title for the gravity guns from the honorverse... still pretty interesting though.

[@ChristopherM]

Kudos for the Elite Dangerous inclusion!

[@timmorris8932]

Yay "Freelancer"! Love that game. Still want someone to do a review of the Galaxy class freighter.

[@elkapitan_warcriminalcoyote]

Also at some point in Star Blazers 2199, the Gamilas used one as a way to trap the Yamato in an ambush.

[@brianrogers7360]

I remember that. I believe part of the name was Gliese.

[@TaraZaraChara]

@@brianrogers7360 Carell 163, Gliese 581 was the Red Dwarf where they fought against Colonel Shultz and the Dessler Torpedo.

[@brianrogers7360]

@@TaraZaraChara okay, I wasnt too sure. Been awhile since I watched it

[@TehAntares]

I just read a book, and there was a Tal interstellar fleet passing by a pulsar (I think it was pulsar; they actually called it a "shaking star"). But because the Tals were navigating through that region using very unreliable maps, they were not aware of that pulsar, which then caused a great discord in the fleet, damaging several ships, and maybe even destroyed one.

[@heavyarms55]

This is cool. I'd enjoy more videos like this. It would be cool if you spent a little more time talking about what we know about the thing IRL, then go on to how it's been used in sci-fi.

[@memely4454]

Love your work.

[@ranekeisenkralle8265]

Yeah.. i remember the radiation in Omega 41. But that wasn't the worst about that place. If I remember correctly, a portion of the system was also littered with mines for some reason.

[@ppenmudera4687]

7:51 Eyy shoutout to the wonderful person Anton!

[@maybetoby]

I remember those episodes of Sliders and Voyager.

[@Iscannon]

Sins of a Solar Empire!

[@awesomehpt8938]

Makes for a good space lighthouse

[@pBIggZz]

Well done. The stars provide for us a better setting for storytelling then I could ever hope to imagine on my own. I find it strange that writers don't leverage the alien environments of a pulsar, or a supergiant, or a hot star, and all the wondrous, unimaginable places that could exist beneath them.

[@brianbergmusic5288]

I get a chuckle out of sci-fi voyages of close encounters with these celestial monsters (especially magnetars). They seem far more destructive than any Lovecraftian entity.

[@martinkulash4061]

Love this new video type where you are covering so many different franchise while centered around one idea. Hope to see more

[@Squibidyflop]

This is a fantastic and genuinely fascinating compilation of the depiction of science within science fiction, and an interesting look at how relatively modern science can be 'interpreted' for different storytelling purposes. I'd love to see more videos like this exploring different concepts and ideas!

[@ajzebadua]

The amount of research that must've gone into such a random topic....kudos.

[@merafirewing6591]

Fascinating.

[@davesobani9565]

The Wingcommander cartoon!!!! its been so long since i've seen that!!

[@kaitlyn__L]

This was a refreshing “overview” episode! I liked the interleaving of the IRL science with their closest fictional versions too, as opposed to all of one and then all off the other.

[@DYrahcaz91]

A reference to Sins of a Solar Empire on my favorite fictional spaceships channel? Huzzah!!

[@lordcola-3324]

I am impressed that you caught that sliders episode.

[@jutau]

So happy you included Sliders.

[@deep.space.12]

Wow the research that goes into making this episode!

[@jacobpelzer8958]

stellaris also has a mod that let's you build megastructures around neutron stars and pulsars that produce large amounts of alloys for your empire

[@Jaydee-wd7wr]

Which in itself is reference to the nidavellir hyperforge from Avengers Infinity War. Mjolnir, Storm Breaker and the Infinity gauntlet were all forged there. That was a neutron star in the movie though and so isn’t particularly relevant.

[@jacobpelzer8958]

@@Jaydee-wd7wr yes, I was also referring to neutronium gigaforges as well since they can also be built above pulsars, better not let the cats get them

[@Jaydee-wd7wr]

@@jacobpelzer8958, Katzen or Blokkats? Gigastructures has a bit of an obsession with evil cats.

[@jacobpelzer8958]

@@Jaydee-wd7wr I was thinking of the katzen

[@MajorHavoc214]

Don't forget, the Starfleet Corps of Engineers also make robot ships to harvest neutronium from neutron stars which is used to manufacture armor for the starships in Starfleet.

[@DMSProduktions]

NICE use of various incarnations of Wing Commander!

[@sarabafriend4701]

one od your best videos to date

[@jamesperez1319]

I love this episode very educational great job guys

[@mortman200]

There's also the Pulsar in Futurama that the Planet Express Ship tried to crash into in a jealous rage after Bender dumped her.

[@suelynch]

The series Andromeda had an episode describing a double pulsar. I remember it because in BSG they were describing the same double pulsar.

[@-JA-]

Thank you.

[@Ghostwolf82]

Great video. I like this format, looking into astrological bodies and how they are represented in various Sci-Fi series. Would like to see such a video on Black Holes in the future!

[@TaraZaraChara]

There's also the Battle of Carell 163 in Space Battleship Yamato 2199 The Gamilans predict that the immense gravitational pull of the Pulsar will pull the Yamato out of warp near it, so they position their fleets accordingly to surround and destroy the ship. Its a really intense battle that I think is worth noting.

[@chrisstevens2]

When I was a kid (a long time ago) there were Pulsar brand watches.

[@Nazar_Melnyk]

Although, it is pretty insignificant, there is an appearance of neutron stars/pulsars in the Endless Space 2 as a type of special nodes. Those aren't full-fledged systems, but you can orbit them and have a space battle. Those objects will nullify yours and enemies shields granting 25% more experience after battle for surviving ships. Also, they can give some benefits for the system that covers the node by its sphere of influence (something like a border). For pulsars those benefits are +1 point of influence and +1 point of science on system per population unit.

[@crashstudi0s]

A pulsar named "Lich" and with planets named after non-dead entities... How cool is that?

[@SarisWinterwisp]

You should totally do a video related to starsector, if at all possible. Maybe basing it off of the venerable Onslaught class battleship?

[@DocuAddict666]

Freelancer is one of the best games of all time. I would love to see the campaign as a series with Trent and Junko

[@selectthedead]

Mass Effect also makes use of Pulsars, as it's the main source of Element Zero

[@downsidebrian]

Pulsar in Sci-fi: a cool name for a star that shoots lasers at you, or something. Pulsar in real life: blinky light tells you where you are

[@VikingTeddy]

Pulsars do shoot death rays at you irl though.

[@danielking5812]

Very interesting, could you do a series like this?

[@Werepie]

Woo, I love seeing Elite Dangerous getting some representation!

[@bluebonic3497]

I was hoping you'd mention stargate universe. Underrated show

[@michaellewis1545]

Wing Commander Academy while not the best drawn show. The story is very good definitely worth a watch.

[@Oyunbazar]

PLEASE do videos about the the different Jupiter 2s and the Resolute

[@tonyramos3236]

This is excellent! @doctorwhoknows mentioned Thor, but I believe it was Infinity War instead of Ragnarok. I think the neutron star's name was "Nidavellir". It appeared that the gigastructure in the scene was somehow in sync with one of the pulses.

[@rommdan2716]

You should talk about the Culture's worldships, they are amazing, imagine a kindom in the stars JUST FOR YOU!

[@aabatteryalex]

Shoutout to sins of a solar empire. Hands down the best 4x out there

[@dixievfd55]

Star Trek Online uses a pulsar as background terrain in the system that is the home of the HurQ. The Havas Kul system.

[@thechroniclegamer4285]

You should read the book series “Manifold” the amount of spontaneous science words is insane

[@marckrieger3277]

Thank you for reminding me that freelancer exists such fun game.

[@ToastyMcGrath]

Star Citizen has an inhabited pulsar system named Banshee. "The ghost that screams..."

[@CS_Mango]

I'm happy to see stellaris. Over the time I grew quite fond of this game and it's mass effect like lore. Civilizations rise and get tested as the endgame crisis hits. Those who survive get to live and stagnate in the millennia of silence to follow.

[@StarshipEternity]

Really interesting stuff and good work on it. Though what sucks at least for myself is trying to work out hard sci-fi for our projects kinda gets the mindset of looking at older sci-fi works of "that's not right" or "not quite accurate but whatever" mentality. Again it kinda sucks as some of those scenes look great.

[@psoma_brufd]

Out of curiosity, in the footage you showed we can see the pulsar light moving the full way round, is there a reason for this in real life or is this just a demonstration of it?

[@Restilia_ch]

The beams come out of the magnetic poles. If the axis of rotation is 90-degrees offset from the magnetic poles, that's what you'd get. Can have anything between there and perfectly in-line with the axis of rotation to give wide sweeping beams or beam that is constantly pointed in the same directions.

[@psoma_brufd]

@@Restilia_ch I know that the beams are there, but to see them like we do in these demononstrations means the light is being scattered, but there is nothing in space to scatter the light.

[@the_once-and-future_king.]

@@psoma_brufd Depends how far away you are. Space isn't a perfect vacuum. There's gas & dust particles, and gravitational waves can scatter photons if powerful enough. One could extrapolate that close-up the beams would be cohesive. Further away, it would become more diffuse and look more like a pulse of light.

[@Restilia_ch]

@@the_once-and-future_king. The magnetic poles are also not collimators for the radiation. Rather than being a perfectly tight beam like a laser, it would be a cone that starts at the star and then spreads the further you go.

[@rotntv]

props for Freelancer nostalgia mention

[@ranekeisenkralle8265]

Yeah.. ..forgot to mention the mines littering that hellhole though...

[@EssigSaureEthylEster]

Yes, Starsector!

[@EmperorNexus]

Space Dock. Could you make a video on the Valor-Class Cruiser of the Old Republic?

[@humbleherald2163]

I watched the whole video wondering if the Sojourn’s pulsar would get a mention, and I was not disappointed. The last thing you should be feeling about promoting your own sci-fi material is shame.

[@robertdrexel2043]

In the indie video game Starcom: Nexus you can find solar systems with Pulsars in them whose beams do damage to your ship if you get close to them.

[@rainmanslim4611]

All I know about neutron/pulsar stars is that they make navigating their systems a nightmare to navigate in starsector Edit: YOOOO! SPACEDOCK NAMEDROPPED STARSECTOR!

[@Arashmickey]

Sliders! Now that's a name I haven't heard in a long time. In Expeditionary Force, an orbit near a neutron star is used as a safe location for a research base - you can't jump in near for a quick raid, anything approaching will be detected from a long distance away and vulnerable on the approach. edit: Oh and I think a black dwarf is used in a similar way in Spiral Wars.

[@bigsarge2085]

Oh, magnetar, we hardly knew ye!

[@pearsegallagher9832]

can you do a video on the unsc longsword?

[@K-Effect]

There is always at least 1 pulsar being created in a Taco Bell bathroom

[@Spinobreaker]

In the Aussie scifi series SilverSun a pulsar emits energy that matches someones brian waves almost killing them

[@raideurng2508]

Flying into a binary pulsar? Sounds like I'm trying to crush this ship like a tin can.

[@fredwupkensoppel8949]

8:01 Bellerophon was the first exoplanet, though.

[@hoojiwana]

That was the first confirmed exoplanet around a main sequence star. The exoplanets around Lich were discovered 3 years earlier. - hoojiwana from Spacedock

[@fredwupkensoppel8949]

@@hoojiwana Oh, thx