<p>Magnetars are a type of pulsar and pulsars are a type of neutron star. So all magnetars are neutron stars, but some neutron stars are not pulsars, and some pulsars are not magnetars.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/bV4FP.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/bV4FP.png" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>
<p>However, neutron stars that aren't pulsars are <a href="https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/a/34390/9527">very difficult to observe</a>.  And even among the pulsars, there are only <a href="https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/a/36047/9527"> 12% of them that we can actually see</a>.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-20T20:38:05.780Z
The ATNF pulsar catalogue contains about 3000 pulsars. If we assume these represent the 10% that can be observed because of a small beam width, then there are more like 30,000 pulsars. But there are expected to be a billion neutron stars in the Galaxy. Maybe my 1 in 10,000 is too big; I'm not sure how complete the ATNF catalogue will be.
ProfRob
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-20T20:39:47.173Z
A better way is to note that the lifetime of the pulsar phenomenon is about 1-10 million years. Even if pulsars are born at a constant rate then there would be 1000-10,000 times as many "dead" pulsars.
ProfRob
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-20T21:30:47.327Z
To add to what Rob said, the beaming fraction isn't the fraction of neutron stars which are pulsars, but the fraction of pulsars which are observable as pulsars to us.
HDE 226868
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-20T08:56:21.293Z
2020-10-22T12:26:18.433Z
2020-10-22T12:26:18.433Z
usernumber
<p>I know this is a simplistic question, but I cannot find a straight answer...</p>
<p>Also, is it possible most or all neutron stars are magnetars and/or pulsars?  It's just hard to see all of their properties from our vantage point, etc.?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-20T02:08:39.710Z
magnetars are only a small special case fraction of neutron stars, but are all magnetars also pulsars, hmmm.... Nice article (and video) here but no explicit sentences saying that. https://phys.org/news/2016-08-magnetars.html I don't know if a "pulsar" is something that is *observed in some way* to pulse, or if its any rotating strongly magnetized object *likely* to pulse, that would be expected to pulse if one were to measure it.
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-20T07:48:50.547Z
According to [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulsar#Categories) magnetars are one of the 3 categories of pulsars. It's not easy to detect a neutron star if it's not a pulsar, and if the beam doesn't sweep the Earth. OTOH, I suppose we may be able to see non-beamed radiation if the neutron star has an active accretion disk, or if the beam creates a tell-tale signature in a nearby gas cloud.
PM 2Ring
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-20T07:53:21.013Z
Also, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutron_star There are thought to be around one billion neutron stars in the Milky Way [...] However, most are old and cold and radiate very little; most neutron stars that have been detected occur only in certain situations in which they do radiate, such as if they are a pulsar or part of a binary system. Slow-rotating and non-accreting neutron stars are almost undetectable.
PM 2Ring
<astrophysics><neutron-star><terminology><pulsar><magnetar>
Can a pulsar also be a magnetar?
Kurt Hikes
# Can a pulsar also be a magnetar?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-10-20)

I know this is a simplistic question, but I cannot find a straight answer...

Also, is it possible most or all neutron stars are magnetars and/or pulsars? It's just hard to see all of their properties from our vantage point, etc.?

**Tags:** astrophysics, neutron-star, terminology, pulsar, magnetar

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: magnetars are only a small special case fraction of neutron stars, but are all magnetars also pulsars, hmmm.... Nice article (and video) here but no explicit sentences saying that. https://phys.org/news/2016-08-magnetars.html I don't know if a "pulsar" is something that is *observed in some way* to pulse, or if its any rotating strongly magnetized object *likely* to pulse, that would be expected to pulse if one were to measure it.  
> **username_2**: According to [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulsar#Categories) magnetars are one of the 3 categories of pulsars. It's not easy to detect a neutron star if it's not a pulsar, and if the beam doesn't sweep the Earth. OTOH, I suppose we may be able to see non-beamed radiation if the neutron star has an active accretion disk, or if the beam creates a tell-tale signature in a nearby gas cloud.  
> **username_2**: Also, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutron_star There are thought to be around one billion neutron stars in the Milky Way [...] However, most are old and cold and radiate very little; most neutron stars that have been detected occur only in certain situations in which they do radiate, such as if they are a pulsar or part of a binary system. Slow-rotating and non-accreting neutron stars are almost undetectable.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2020-10-20. Score: 2

Magnetars are a type of pulsar and pulsars are a type of neutron star. So all magnetars are neutron stars, but some neutron stars are not pulsars, and some pulsars are not magnetars.

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/bV4FP.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/bV4FP.png)

However, neutron stars that aren't pulsars are [very difficult to observe](https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/a/34390/9527). And even among the pulsars, there are only  [12% of them that we can actually see](https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/a/36047/9527).

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: The ATNF pulsar catalogue contains about 3000 pulsars. If we assume these represent the 10% that can be observed because of a small beam width, then there are more like 30,000 pulsars. But there are expected to be a billion neutron stars in the Galaxy. Maybe my 1 in 10,000 is too big; I'm not sure how complete the ATNF catalogue will be.  
> **username_4**: A better way is to note that the lifetime of the pulsar phenomenon is about 1-10 million years. Even if pulsars are born at a constant rate then there would be 1000-10,000 times as many "dead" pulsars.  
> **username_5**: To add to what Rob said, the beaming fraction isn't the fraction of neutron stars which are pulsars, but the fraction of pulsars which are observable as pulsars to us.  

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