The Magnetic Wakes of Pulsar Planets Pulsars are among the most extreme stars in the universe: dense balls of matter which are heavier than the Sun, yet only a few tens of kilometers in diameter. They rotate rapidly (up to several hundred revolutions per second) and flash like lighthouse beacons — hence the name, which is short for pulsating star. And yet despite these exotic properties, pulsars are like our Sun in one way at least: two have been observed to be home to planetary systems. Continue Reading