Science

Citizen Scientists Discover Pulsars In Deep Space

While your computer is running idle, it could be finding new pulsars and black holes in deep space – just like the computers of three volunteers running a program called Einstein@Home.


May 28, 2009

How Do You Avoid Hitting Stars at Warp 5? A Pulsar Positioning System

OK, mind blowing: A scientist at the Observatoire de Paris basically invented GPS for interstellar travelers: Simply tune in the radio signals from four pulsars, crunch some numbers having to do with relativity (natch) and read your position within the galaxy—to within a meter.