The first glimpses of a pulsar’s surface hint at complex magnetism
Maps of the rapidly spinning neutron star could shed light on how high-density matter behaves
![pulsar map](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/121719_CC_pulsar_feat.jpg?fit=1028%2C579&ssl=1)
The first maps of a pulsar reveal bright spots in its southern hemisphere where high-speed atomic particles, guided by magnetic fields, slam into the star. These illustrations show two possible configurations of the spots.
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center