I am using my computer to process data for Einstein@Home.

[Jamastiene]

Funny thing is, I haven't taken a physics class yet. The web site mentioned someting about "searching for spinning neutron stars (also called pulsars)," but I haven't a clue what that means. Can any science people explain it to me?

http://einstein.phys.uwm.edu/

P.S. I found this through SETI@Home which is currently down. It uses the BOINC software. This is fun. I used to process the SETI info on my old computer, but this is the first chance I have had to work on getting my new computer customized.

[Heidi]

1. Bookmarking for Call Me Wesley.

Yes, I married the ultimate science geek. :thumbsup: I'm sure he'll have an answer for you in a few hours, gf. (He's asleep right now.)

[Jamastiene]

3. It sure is exciting.

Here is a screenshot from the web site.

[Robeson]

2. Wow. I knew about the SETI computer thing, but I didn't know there was...

...a site that will let us tap into pulsars. I'm bookmarking that site! Thanks....:thumbsup:

[Jamastiene]

4. It's so cool.

The screensaver graphics look interesting. I'm having a lot of fun watching it knowing that my computer is helping some physics department at some university find stuff in space. I wish my itty bitty insignificant community college had cool stuff like this happening.

[TreasonousBastard]

5. When a star about three times the size of our sun...

dies, it collapses and becomes what is known as a neutron star. It might blow up into a nova or it might not, but after it stops burning it collapses. It's called a neutron star because the atoms tend to collapse into largely neutrons-- or at least that's the theory. No one's actually seen one yet.

Since it gives off no light, the only way to find one is to look for X-rays, if it's emitting them, or gravity effects. X-rays and radio waves are detected by radio telescopes, but gravity effects are trickier.

Two things can happen-- there might be an effect on a nearby object from the dark star's gravity, or it might cause what's called "gravity lens." Either way, you try to measure the changes and calculate the size and position of the invisible star.

A gravity lens is the bending of light by a large mass, like the neutron star, similar to the way we are used to glass lenses bending light. If the dark star passes in fromt of another star, we can't really see it like we see a solar eclipe here, but we can see the light shifting.

It looks like these guys are using another, and newer, technique to find the dark stars. Gravity waves are extremely low frequency waves that are hard to detect and even harder to filter out from all the other stuff floating around. The program seems similar to the SETI software that tries to filter out the noise.

[Jamastiene]

6. Yes. It uses BOINC which is what SETI runs on now.

BOINC is the application software and there are several projects you can "attach" to including one that monitors data related to climate change. I'm thinking about that one next. Maybe.


Thanks for the description. I like the way you explained it. I understand that a lot better than what the web site said. I just knew it was interesting. Now I know it's more than just interesting, it's fascinating too.

[Call Me Wesley]

7. Pulsars:

TreasonousBastard gave the answer already, but here's some more and even a little movie about the whole process that turns a star into a pulsar:

http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/know_l2/pulsars.html

http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/xte/Snazzy/Movies/millisecond.html

[purr]

8. I signed up and I did the AIDS one. What is my account key?

I cant find it anywhere and I need it for the BOINC Manager. Didnt get anything through email.