Many students have heard the references to the Pulsar Search Collaboratory on the morning announcements each day. However, few know exactly what the group is.
“The Pulsar Search Collaboratory is an astronomically focused group now offered to Langley students,” said senior member Spencer Shabshab. The objective of the group is to search for continuously turning neutron stars, called pulsars. To locate these stars, members of the group use a special telescope known as the Green Bank Telescope, located in Green Bank, West Virginia. By the end of the year, the group hopes to have plotted fifty pulsars. If they reach this goal, they will qualify to attend a Capstone seminar and award ceremony in Morgantown, West Virginia on May 22.
Students must pass two diagnostic tests before becoming official members of the PSC. Once members, they are also expected to contribute on their own time. “Everything for the PSC is all online, which makes it a lot easier for students to access,” said Shabshab.