<p>As already pointed out by <a href="https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/questions/49066/what-is-this-strange-animation-of-a-pulsar-likely-trying-to-illustrate-one-beam/49068#comment107846_49066">Justin T</a>'s comment, this is just a symmetrical emission profile seen from the top.
This is the full animation, which shows the pattern from various angles and should makes this more clear:</p>
<p><div class="youtube-embed"><div>
                <iframe width="640px" height="395px" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/esQaRL0Lopk?start=0"></iframe>
            </div></div></p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/e6UHI.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/e6UHI.jpg" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-04-12T19:38:39.247Z
Okay I'm slowly getting it, thanks! I think part of the problem is that the "camera" or viewing position used to generate the animation is at a finite distance, and my brain always defaults to [orthographic projection](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthographic_projection) in which case the behavior would be symmetric and conical. The reason it looks like a circle is that the viewer is sitting *near* the apex of the outgoing cone of "blue fuzzy photon spray" (i.e. [perspective projection](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perspective_(graphical)))
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-04-12T16:51:36.353Z
2022-04-12T16:51:36.353Z
SpaceCore
<p>The November 2020 Sixty Symbols video <em>How Smooth is a Neutron Star?</em> (linked below) describes negative LIGO results looking for weak but very periodic signals from rotating neutron stars that might radiate gravitational waves due to higher order mass moments.</p>
<p>It shows a lot of animations of neutron stars and pulsars, and some of them feel a bit off to me, often it looks like the beam axis doesn't define a pair of cones as it rotates, as if someone was moving it around by hand instead of using a proper trajectory.</p>
<p>But this image below really confuses me! It shows two &quot;beams&quot; emitted from the poles of a sphere that is presumably a neutron star. One shoots almost straight up, the other extends down but it then coils itself on to a fixed circular loop, like coiled rope.</p>
<p><strong>Question</strong>: What is this strange animation of a pulsar likely trying to illustrate? One beam is normal, the opposite gets wrapped like coiled rope?</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/vTbjT.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/vTbjT.jpg" alt="screenshot from the Sixty Symbols video &quot;How Smooth is a Neutron Star&quot;?" /></a></p>
<p><div class="youtube-embed"><div>
                <iframe width="640px" height="395px" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YfLvuH41sg8?start=0"></iframe>
            </div></div></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-04-12T16:34:12.963Z
I’m not sure if this is true, but I’m guessing a very similar shape would be seen just above where the camera cuts off; I think it’s just showing how the outflow of photons/ particles makes that shape as it propagates in space after moving how it is? Just a guess
Justin T
<neutron-star>
What is this strange animation of a pulsar likely trying to illustrate? One beam is normal, the opposite gets wrapped like coiled rope?
uhoh
# What is this strange animation of a pulsar likely trying to illustrate? One beam is normal, the opposite gets wrapped like coiled rope?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-04-12)

The November 2020 Sixty Symbols video *How Smooth is a Neutron Star?* (linked below) describes negative LIGO results looking for weak but very periodic signals from rotating neutron stars that might radiate gravitational waves due to higher order mass moments.

It shows a lot of animations of neutron stars and pulsars, and some of them feel a bit off to me, often it looks like the beam axis doesn't define a pair of cones as it rotates, as if someone was moving it around by hand instead of using a proper trajectory.

But this image below really confuses me! It shows two "beams" emitted from the poles of a sphere that is presumably a neutron star. One shoots almost straight up, the other extends down but it then coils itself on to a fixed circular loop, like coiled rope.

**Question**: What is this strange animation of a pulsar likely trying to illustrate? One beam is normal, the opposite gets wrapped like coiled rope?

[![screenshot from the Sixty Symbols video "How Smooth is a Neutron Star"?](https://i.sstatic.net/vTbjT.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/vTbjT.jpg)

**Tags:** neutron-star

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I’m not sure if this is true, but I’m guessing a very similar shape would be seen just above where the camera cuts off; I think it’s just showing how the outflow of photons/ particles makes that shape as it propagates in space after moving how it is? Just a guess  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2022-04-12. Score: 3

As already pointed out by [username_1 T](https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/questions/49066/what-is-this-strange-animation-of-a-pulsar-likely-trying-to-illustrate-one-beam/49068#comment107846_49066)'s comment, this is just a symmetrical emission profile seen from the top.
This is the full animation, which shows the pattern from various angles and should makes this more clear:

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/e6UHI.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/e6UHI.jpg)

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Okay I'm slowly getting it, thanks! I think part of the problem is that the "camera" or viewing position used to generate the animation is at a finite distance, and my brain always defaults to [orthographic projection](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthographic_projection) in which case the behavior would be symmetric and conical. The reason it looks like a circle is that the viewer is sitting *near* the apex of the outgoing cone of "blue fuzzy photon spray" (i.e. [perspective projection](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perspective_(graphical)))  

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